New Frameworks
Straw-panel prefab from a worker co-op, with the prices on the website.
What they're known for
A Vermont worker cooperative manufacturing straw-insulated wall panels and prefab kits, finished in clay and lime plaster and set on helical piers instead of concrete.
New Frameworks is a worker-owned Vermont manufacturer of straw-insulated wall panels and prefab building kits. Its assemblies use dense-packed local straw, wood-fiber roof and floor insulation, clay and lime finishes, and helical-pier foundations, with ERV or HRV ventilation treated as necessary in airtight construction. The company also publishes kit pricing and openly discusses the moisture limitations of straw. Some thermal and stored-carbon figures remain based on comparative or company-reported evidence, so the material system is stronger than the marketing precision around every performance number.
Capabilities
- Panel Fabrication
- Deep-Energy Retrofit
Performance focus
- Healthy Materials
- Low-Carbon Construction
- Indoor Air
Credentials
Certified Passive House Builder (CPHB)
Held by staff per the firm. This is the PHIUS builder credential; the firm is sometimes described elsewhere as holding the consultant credential, CPHC, which is a different certification.
Efficiency Vermont Best of the Best, Performance Excellence (Single-Family Homes)
2026, for Rose Hill Lane in Shelburne, shared with Bellwether Craftsmen. Announced by Efficiency Vermont and reported independently. Their strongest third-party performance credential.
BEAM embodied carbon tool
Co-developer and trainer role held by Jacob Deva Racusin, confirmed on Builders for Climate Action's own site. BEAM is a cradle-to-gate tool covering A1–A3 and excluding mechanical, electrical, plumbing, millwork and finishes.
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Sources
- Vermont Employee Ownership Center — New Frameworks profile
- Vermont Business Magazine — Efficiency Vermont 2026 Best of the Best awards
- Builders for Climate Action — about and collaborators
- Fine Homebuilding — Home and Barn: A Natural Build
- The River Reporter — Carbon emissions: the last straw
- California Residential Code, Appendix BJ — Strawbale Construction
- New Frameworks — Casitas
- New Frameworks — FAQ
Facts verified July 2026. Compound is an independent editorial directory and is not affiliated with this company unless stated.