Natural Building Techniques

[dataGecko]

Thought I'd start a new thread to collect info about natural building ideas. We did an earth render workshop today at the local Community Organic Farm in the city. They are building a new office/library/meeting room and education space, using as many eco friendly building ideas as they can manage. One of those is to use earth rendered internal walls. I've wanted to try this for a while, so when we spotted the working bee/workshop for today I could not let the opportunity pass.

The internal walls are build up with three layers of earthen render made of sand, clay, a little straw and water. The first layer is keyed to bamboo slats mounted on the (plantation sourced) plywood backboard that also serves as bracing. This was already completed two weeks ago, and uses a roughly 3:1 clay to sand mix, with cut straw added for strength.


http://lh3.ggpht.com/_O1aE02DU574/TGEOPduoF8I/AAAAAAAAA58/Lo_KYY5mEjc/s800/NortheyStFarm-EarthRendering02.jpg
[Volunteer applying the second coat of render. You can see where it was wet down before applying.]

We were laying the second layer today, which was a 1:1 sand to clay mix, with cut straw and a little biodynamic mixture as a mold inhibitor, as mold was a bit of problem on the first coat. The second layer was mixed in a small electric cement mixer, then brought up in wheelbarrows to be applied by hand to the dampened first layer. This was applied by throwing or smearing the mix into the raked surface to get a good bond, and then patted to make the mix wetter and stickier, which then caused it to suction onto the previous layer. This seemed to give a good strong bond. It was then troweled smooth to get a nice even layer, and to force the mix deeper into the raked groves underneath.

With about a dozen willing workers we finished 60 square meters of wall in about 5 hours including breaks for morning tea and lunch. It was already starting to firm up by then. The final step was to rake in the groves to rough up this surface ready for the final layer, which will use more sand, roughly 2:1 and no straw. This should give a nice smooth surface. I hope we can get along to that workshop in about 2 weeks time.

I really enjoyed the day, and got involved in all aspects, including the mixing, application, and finishing. It really is a wonderfully easy material to work with, very forgiving, and very satisfying when you see the finished work. Getting the mix right is the most important aspect, but once this is worked out the rest is very straight forward, and I think anyone could do it. I certainly feel more confident about using this technique in a future project.


http://lh4.ggpht.com/_O1aE02DU574/TGEOPdwxHPI/AAAAAAAAA54/empGRjoMxNU/s800/NortheyStFarm-EarthRendering01.jpg
[The wife was able to enjoy this process too.]

[TomT]

Cool thread:cool:
Could Google it but what are the strengths / weaknesses of this kind of build?

TomT

[dataGecko]

Cool thread:cool:
Could Google it but what are the strengths / weaknesses of this kind of build?

TomT

I guess the main strengths are: low cost of materials (ideally free on site if you are lucky), easy to work and rework/repair, anyone can do it, helps equalize humidity (absorbs moisture in high humidity, releases it in low humidity), allows the walls to breath, good sound proofing qualities, provides some thermal mass to the inside of the building envelop. Looks good. :-)

Weaknesses would be cracking if mixture is wrong or application is poorly done, dusty unless sealed (natural solutions available), somewhat labour intensive, wet earth is heavy to move around.

[Yukkuri Kame]

Posted elsewhere, but belongs here. Not to be missed 1 hour documentary on cob building w/ Ianto Evans, the father of the cob renaissance and others:


http://blip.tv/file/2166959


.
I like the look of this Cob/Cordwood Combo:
http://home-n-stead.com/about/blog_files/page1_blog_entry39_1.jpg
http://home-n-stead.com/about/blog_f...ategory-3.html

[Yukkuri Kame]

Earthships aren't exactly natural building, but certainly ecological and economical... here is the full length documentary 'Garbage Warrior':

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/hdhmr5aj7b4/

[Yukkuri Kame]

Cool thread:cool:
Could Google it but what are the strengths / weaknesses of this kind of build?

TomT

The mold scares me! Nasty stuff. Know of a few strawbale buildings that have gotten moldy, and it can ruin a building. In most cases, mold can be avoided with proper foresight, but very hard to deal with in hindsight.

Not familiar with that particular technique, but earth as a building material in general has the following qualities:

Thermal mass - earth regulates temperature, so stays cool in summer and warm in winter, cool during the day and warm during the night. But earth, by itself, is not a great insulator. Adding some wood or strawbale can up the insulation greatly.

Labor intensive - earthen building tends to involve a great deal of manual labor. But if a cob house is going to last 400 years, I figure it is worth it.

Dirt cheap!

Minimal ecological footprint (few trees, near zero fossil fuels, non-toxic materials)

[Yukkuri Kame]

What are building codes like for private residences in the inaka? Loose? Restrictive? Nonexistent? Is it possible to do the owner-builder thing without major interference from j-gov? I am very interested in this topic and grateful for any info on it.

In the US, it varies a great deal by state and county. In California, for example, cob does not meet building codes, so is basically illegal anywhere in the state. Though many suspect that cob earthquake resistance is excellent, and fire resistance is obviously very good. Just north of the border, Oregon is a lot looser and that is part of why the cob renaissance is centered there.

[Yukkuri Kame]

Friend of mine sent me this photo of a 'soil house' from South Korea. Looks like cob-cordwood to me:

13464http://forum.gaijinpot.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=13464&d=1281648294

[gomu]

What are building codes like for private residences in the inaka? Loose? Restrictive? Nonexistent? Is it possible to do the owner-builder thing without major interference from j-gov? I am very interested in this topic and grateful for any info on it.

I dare say it varies from district to district, but where I am (outside the municipal planning area) there's no need to call in the inspectors until you're building something over 100sqm, even then the rules are pretty lax.

[Yukkuri Kame]

I dare say it varies from district to district, but where I am (outside the municipal planning area) there's no need to call in the inspectors until you're building something over 100sqm, even then the rules are pretty lax.

Thanks gomu, that is great news. Love to hear from others about their districts.

Another view of the korean house:
13466

edit- guess that came out a bit minimalist, I know... having difficulties uploading attachments

[dataGecko]

Thanks gomu, that is great news. Love to hear from others about their districts.

Another view of the korean house:
13466

edit- guess that came out a bit minimalist, I know... having difficulties uploading attachments

Nice looking place isn't it. :-) I love this earthy, simple sort of building. Looks so inviting.

Gomu, thats also an area of interest to me, just how much you need to get the officials involved when building, what can you do if you want to stay under the radar, what would put you on the radar. Strategies to achieve as much self-build as possible (with 'alternate' building methods/materials, that sort of thing. I know you are planning to build, so you are going though this process right now. Maybe, if I could be so troublesome, a how-to guide on HBS that we could all build on would be grand. :-)

[dataGecko]

If you want to see one of the most impressive self-builds I've seen (UK) have a look at his clip. This is really impressive, on so many levels. Most of the materials are natural, sources from the property or farms near by. Way beyond my capabilities, but many ideas here I would like to adopt. :-) Perrty ain't it!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JsVai3sJUg

[Yukkuri Kame]

nice A frame there, really beautiful space

this vid includes an earthquake shake test for cob, glad to see the research, even if the results are not so reassuring.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJk_AFY4sgE

http://www.stanleyparkecology.ca/programs/cob/journal/journal.htm

Shake Test II
Ian writes:

As some of you may recall, we tested a scale model cob building that Steve Lay and others built on a siesmic shake table a few weeks ago at the University of British Columbia. The building received a massive pounding, but did not simulate an earthquake as it was supposed to, due to problems with the hydraulics. Despite the massive pounding, the building received only minor damage.

With the hydraulics repaired, we successfully conducted our tests on Sept. 20th. The model, which was about 6 ft diameter and 5 ft high, easily handled a 7.4 richter quake with only minor cracks. And this was after the previous pounding that certainly compromised the structure. This quake simulated a particular quake in California that was particularily destructive to buildings.

Finally, the building was given a 2 g force shake, something closer to a 9 richter and at the epicenter. As was expected the building was shaken apart. This would be a very rare quake and no building would easily survive this level of shaking forces. Amazingly, despite such a violent shake, the building remained standing, though large chunks of cob had fallen away from the building. Anyone inside would have survived as the roof remained in place and no large cob fell inward.

There was considerable rocking of the building from side to side which points to the importance of tying/keying in the building to the foundation well, although I expect that the failure would then be the mortar in the stone foundation. Another interesting observation was the amount of shearing, probably at horizontal layers that were not tied together so well. Embedding bamboo dowels or something like this throughout the walls would greatly reduce this type of failure. I am not an engineer so we will have to await their report. The engineers however were very impressed by cob's performance and now have some good data and video footage to explore ways to increase cob's strength for those of us in earthquake zones.

The following images show the damage after the highest level of shaking.

http://www.stanleyparkecology.ca/programs/cob/journal/IMG_0754.JPG

http://www.stanleyparkecology.ca/programs/cob/journal/IMG_0765.jpg

More on seismic issues... this one cob reinforced with bamboo:
http://www.eons.com/groups/topic/1987109-SUSTAINABLE-EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT-HOUSING

SUSTAINABLE EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT HOUSING
ANCIENT BUILDING METHOD THE KEY TO SUSTAINABLE EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT HOUSING

Specialist earth builder and guest researcher in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, Peter Hickson, has combined one the world's most ancient building techniques, "cob" construction, with modern engineering methods to develop a model house as part of an effort to create low cost earthquake resistant housing for millions of people around the world.

On Wednesday 17 December at noon it was zero hour for the half-size model made of earth and bamboo when it was put to the test on the state-of-the-art UTS shake table, the only earthquake simulator of its kind in Australia. The four tests were based on the El Salvador 2001 earthquake which measured at 7.8 on the Richter scale. The first test was set at 100% intensity, the second at 125% intensity. The third and fourth tests represented the aftershocks that occur after the main earthquake hits and these were set at 100% intensity. Impressively, the model suffered minor cracks but remained standing.

Hickson has collaborated with Professor Bijan Samali, UTS senior lecturer and expert in Structural engineering and final-year engineering students Luke Punzet and Jean-Michel Albert-Thernet in building and testing the model. "If this were an actual building then it could have been safely reoccupied without any repair. It is an outstanding success because not collapsing and killing or injuring people is enough to claim success," said Professor Samali. Hickson has been given the go ahead to safely use his construction system anywhere seismic activity is common and a hazard to life.

"Cob is a building material made from subsoil, straw and water," Hickson said. "Clay is the binder, sand, silt and gravel the fillers and straw the reinforcing. Lumps of earth and straw mixture (cobs) are melded into a monolithic structure. It has been used worldwide for thousands of years and was a traditional building technique popular in England."

Hickson's house introduces many new technologies, but what makes his system unique structurally is the addition of internal bamboo reinforcing and the use of structural diaphragms.

"I believe well designed bamboo reinforced cob is the answer to sustainable housing for anyone living in areas where seismic activity poses a threat to safety. That's sustainable with all aspects of sustainability considered – spiritual/cultural, social/economic and ecological."

The model tested on 17 December was based on a prototype low-cost house Hickson has built in the Philippines. It was complete with windows, first floor, loft bedrooms and roof.

"Millions of people live in inadequate and temporary houses and many thousands of people, sometimes tens of thousands, die in the collapse of buildings during devastating earthquakes," he said. "These buildings are sometimes crudely built earth homes, but often are poorly constructed, using reinforced concrete, concrete hollow block or fired brick.

"Earth building material is abundant, widespread and freely available. Education, training or sharing knowledge is all that is required to make such homes safer if people are willing to adopt some simple changes to the way they build.

"Furthermore, by utilising local indigenous materials, vernacular styles and appropriate climate responsive designs, we will have also delivered the most sustainable solution for communities with limited resources."

Image: Top - Peter Hickson at work on test model; Bottom - The house upon which the model is based

[Yukkuri Kame]

http://nbnetwork.org/

[gomu]

Three earthen buildings in Japan: Link (http://www.eartharchitecture.org/index.php?/categories/34-Japan)

Also wondering what the correct term is (in Japanese or English) for the bamboo 'wattle' and local 'daub' that walls in older Japanese houses were often made out of.

Edit: This sort of thing:
http://www.machidakento.co.jp/img/utsunomiya/U_009_L.JPG

[gomu]

http://www.environmentteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/solar-decathlon-home-by-Tongji-University.jpg

Link to write up (http://www.environmentteam.com/2010/07/27/sustainable-bamboo-house-for-european-solar-decathlon-competition/).

[Yukkuri Kame]

Also wondering what the correct term is (in Japanese or English) for the bamboo 'wattle' and local 'daub' that walls in older Japanese houses were often made out of.

Edit: This sort of thing:
http://www.machidakento.co.jp/img/utsunomiya/U_009_L.JPG

Beautiful! I am suddenly leaning towards some version of bamboo and earth, though I will probably end up with something much simpler than this.

[Yukkuri Kame]

One of the best sites with photos of earthen buildings I have seen to date:

http://www.davidsheen.com/firstearth/photos.htm

[johnElarue]

Great links and info here guys, thanks

I'm in the middle of,

Cordwood Building -The State of the Art by Rob Roy

Timber Framing- for the rest of us by Rob Roy

Cordwood Construction- A log end view by Richard Flateau

The Rob Roy books are extremely thorough. Been contimplating a small cordwood cabin here for a long time, and getting more hopeful that a beginner like me can do it.

[NorthByNorthwest]

The somewhat half-assed earthquake tests and supplemental ad hoc analysis are not very reassuring that that homes built with these methods using earthen matter won't collapse during an earthquake like they have done in countries like Turkey, China and Pakistan.

If going natural and able to build out in the country free of stupid building codes, I think I would much rather prefer a big-___ log cabin.

[Antweazle]

Hey Gecko- interesting stuff. Always wanted to do a Huff'n'Puff (Australian co.) strawbale construstion course.
Your pics and description aren't dissimilar to the standard construction of older houses including the 75 - 100 year old walls of my Shack. The daub walls consist of cedar plank bracing, over which split bamboo trellis (tied together with twisted rice straw) are secured with thicker rice straw, mud/rice straw mix to a thickness of 10.5 cm and finished with lime plaster. "Trust me"- very strong construction! Requires a sledge hammer and 6 beers to remove a wall.

A low-impact woodland home in Wales- love this! http://www.simondale.net/house/

[dataGecko]

Hey Gecko- interesting stuff. Always wanted to do a Huff'n'Puff (Australian co.) strawbale construstion course....

Yea, they look like the offer a very good course. I'd like to do it too, but mostly its down south. There are some workshops from time to time, but its getting the time off to get to them. (sigh - so much to do!) I agree, from what I've seen those old walls look great, and tough as. People underestimate the strength of a well built cobb wall I think - I'd have that over a cheap and nasty concrete wall any time. There are some impressive rammed earth load bearing walls at the botanical gardens here that are exposed to the weather, not capped, and they are incredibly tough, and beautiful too.

There is actually a cobb workshop near here next month, for a week. Love to do that too, but again, time off and the grand of cold hard to do it are the barriers. We will see, though not so hopeful. :(

[gomu]

While searching for standard Japanese timber sizes (link anyone?) I came across a site for the Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum (http://www.dougukan.jp/contents-en/modules/tinyd6/) in Kobe. Looks cool. Think I'll go.

[dataGecko]

While searching for standard Japanese timber sizes (link anyone?)

Ah, if you find one do pass it on. I'm working on some design ideas, and while I'm using standard dimensions (based on tatami), I'd like to know options for timber posts and beams. :-)

[KenElwood]

Nice video here on "shelter":

{ Shelter ( http://vimeo.com/14615070) }


"Shelter is more than a roof overhead. The feeling of warmth and security is best described by walking into our house...when people walk in there they feel it. It's not science."

ken

[Yukkuri Kame]

I've always loved the Roman atriums, courtyards, etc., and hoped to build some sort of earthy atrium-hybrid one day. Couldn't call these places natural, but some good design ideas:

http://gardenatriums.com/index.htm

Interesting how the atrium addresses needs for privacy, air quality, green space (possibly food production), lighting and heating all at once. I'm not a big fan of greenhouses in general, but attached to living spaces they seem to make all the sense in the world.

This diagram is the best part of the sight, as far as I am concerned:
http://gardenatriums.com/utility.gif

PBS show on the atrium homes:


http://www.whro.org/home/html/podcasts/whatmatters/116.mp4

[gomu]

Very good video (http://www.viddler.com/explore/ncpttmedia/videos/12/) on drystone walling.

Anyone know a good source of cheap rock?

[KenElwood]

gomu, nice vid.

Anyone know a good source of cheap rock?
Cheap ? How about free.

Find yourself an old forestry road, look for "fallen rock piles" on the road, scavenge.

ken

[kodou]

Love this thread.
I'm through about 90% of the vids.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frkps9jmCVM[/QUOTE]
I hope to build just such a home someday.

Is it odd that I really, really want to do this? Sourcing, mixing, woodwork, plastering, the whole thing: It's something I'd like to get into however I can.
I've only done a bit of plastering before. I haven't had the opportunity for cob/straw workshops or anything else yet.


Way beyond my capabilities, but many ideas here I would like to adopt. :-) Perrty ain't it![/video]
It sure is. Him being a master carpenter hit home for me, as I've thought about that profession off and on for the last few months.

If anyone knows a good group or person related to this kind of stuff in Hokkaido to contact. I would truly appreciate it.

[dataGecko]

It sure is. Him being a master carpenter hit home for me, as I've thought about that profession off and on for the last few months.

If anyone knows a good group or person related to this kind of stuff in Hokkaido to contact. I would truly appreciate it.

Oh wow, thats really great to read. I can think of few professions in the future that would be more satisfying than building homes from natural materials - the demand will surely grow. When you look at the refined art that carpentry was in Japan during the Edo period, and still persists today to a fair degree, it would be a fine ambition indeed to pursue. I really hope you can find someone that can take you in that direction. Very exciting news! Good luck!!

[johnElarue]

http://inakahome.blogspot.com/search/label/mud%20wall

An interesting looking blog that appears to have gone silent, lots of mud an straw roof!

[Yukkuri Kame]

http://inakahome.blogspot.com/search/label/mud%20wall

An interesting looking blog that appears to have gone silent, lots of mud an straw roof!

Excellent link!

Went to a cob oven workshop the other day. Honestly, the teacher did not impress me, at least as far as his knowledge of cob goes. After a couple of hours he was asking me what I thought the cob mixture needed (more sand, straw, clay or water?). I've only worked minimally on a couple of cob houses, and that last one was about 15 years ago. As a result of not have the right mix, making the cob was much harder than normal, (and if you've ever made cob, you know it is labor intensive even when done right).

At any rate, I came away with the confidence that I could build a cob oven myself. Simple stuff really. Pedestal was made from earthbags (rice bags filled with earth and 10% concrete. The oven itself sits on a floor of fire bricks. Build a dome of sand to use as a mold. Cob over it, first using a 3 inch mixture of sand and clay for the inner layer. Then a 6 inch layer of cob with straw around that. When the cob is stable, a doorway is cut in front and the sand mold is dug out through the door.

A fire is built right in the oven, and left to burn completely. Ashes are swept aside and pizza or bread goes right in the oven and cooks in the residual heat left in the thermal mass. Probably not the most efficient oven ever, but certainly would make great pizza or bread.

Probably will never build one myself, though I'm definitely interested in designing some sort of hybrid cob rocket mass heater/kotatsu/rice cooker.

[Yukkuri Kame]

http://permaculture.org.au/2011/01/06/earthen-building/

Earthen Building
Building, Consumerism, Courses/Workshops, Land, People Systems, Society, Village Development, Waste Systems & Recycling ― by Sasha Rabin January 6, 2011

Editor’s Note: Sasha Rabin is someone with enviable skills in natural building. She has been building, and teaching others to build, with natural materials since co-founding Seven Generations Natural Builders (SGNB) in 2002. She recently co-founded Vertical Clay Construction. Sasha has a degree in Ecological Design from Evergreen State College and apprenticed at the Cob Cottage Company. She has taught natural building classes at the Yestermorrow Design/Build School, The Solar Living Institute, and the Institute of Urban Homesteading. And guess what? Sasha will be co-teaching a natural building course at the ‘Greening the Desert – the Sequel’ site (the new PRI-owned Greening the Desert replacement site) in Jordan, on a five-day course beginning 27 February, 2011. This is not to be missed. Read on, and book here to get onto the course!

by Sasha Rabin


Inside a cob cabin in CA, USA ― built by Sasha Rabin with the help of many

Not very long ago, villages were built by the people who used and inhabited them. Today the buildings we live and work in are designed and built by people outside of our direct community of people who interact with those structures. How do we recreate a society that has a living relationship to the buildings we inhabit, and through that process create modern vernacular building traditions that reflect the true needs of our local communities as well as respecting the limitations of our local environments? One part of this question involves looking at the materials we build with, and the other part involves re-engaging people with the building process.


Ever since humans began building permanent houses 10,000 years ago, earth has been the most commonly used material for building structures. All inhabited continents, and almost all countries, have a history of building with unbaked earth in some form. Even today, more than one third of all humans live in homes built of earth. In many developing countries, it is estimated that about 50% of people live in earthen homes. In Africa the earthen building may be more widespread than anywhere else on earth. From river banks in Niger to granaries and humble huts in Cameroon, to town houses in Mali, earth is by far the dominant building material. In the Middle East earthen architecture also has a long history. Techniques of barrel vaults and domes were perfected in Iran, and in the southern region of Yemen there are cob buildings more than 10 stories high.



In China, in the provinces of Henan, Shanxi, and Gansu, more than 10 million people are estimated to live in homes dug out of the loess layer of earth. These living earthen building traditions are not limited to developing nations. In Germany houses that are ½ timber framed with an infill of clay and straw fibers still can be found in abundance. In England the countryside is still covered with cob buildings several hundred years old. In the southwestern part of the US there is still a plethora of adobe buildings.


An earthen building in Burkina Faso

The methods of construction, style, and technique of earthen building vary greatly throughout the world, even sometimes from one village to another within the same region, depending on local available materials, traditions, cultures, climactic needs, and local skills and knowledge. Different methods of earthen building have developed organically over generations to fit with the needs of the culture. Most of these structures are made with some combination of clay soil, aggregate, fiber and water; but the different proportions of these materials can produce a multitude of techniques and composite materials for a large variety of uses. For example, the fiber used can range from horse hair to branches; the aggregate may range from sand to large stone. In all parts of the world earthen architecture reflects the local environment and the spirit of the builders, dwellers, and history of that place. This is due to an understanding of the importance of a sense of place, as well as a necessity to use the materials at hand. Without the means of mechanical transportation, we would all be building with the materials found closer to our building sites, and our structures would inherently reflect the natural and cultural surrounding.


Wood fired cob oven, built during a cob oven workshop
taught by Sasha Rabin and Massey Burke

With the development of fossil fuel powered transportation, our ability to transport building materials was born. People no longer had to rely on their local environment for materials to build their houses. As the transportation systems developed and increased, so did the homogenization of our built environment. Today building materials are transported all over the world, enabling the ability to create identical buildings in all parts of the globe. Today’s natural building movement is rooted in the decision and choice to return to the use of local materials. This choice is based on a philosophy that places the highest value on social and environmental sustainability. Natural building is about integrating our built environments into their local ecologies and communities with a minimal amount of adverse effects on local and distant environments and societies. It allows us to show deep respect for our immediate environment and gives us the chance to make responsible decisions regarding distant environments.

The challenge we face today is to create a culture of building that has a connection to the place and people from which it comes, and reflects the needs and traditions of those people. I have talked about bringing local materials back into the building, but perhaps even more important is to bring people back into a relationship with the building of the structures in which we live and work. A building culture that engages as many people in a community as possible is going to reflect the needs of that community far better then one that doesn’t. How do we facilitate people’s re-engagement with this process?


Kids helping mix cob in a project in Washington DC

We need to engage children in the building and creation of the built environment that surrounds them, after all, they are the ones that are going to be using and taking care of these buildings. We need to engage the elderly in the building process, and learn from their experience. We need to engage as many people as possible. In order to do this we need to make the building process fun, and use materials and methods that lend themselves to non-professionals. Many methods of earthen building have elements when kids can enjoy helping in the process, and most of the building techniques are ones easily learned. By using materials that are free or very low cost, we have the potential to make the building techniques accessible to people regardless of their economic wealth.

There is no one way to engage in community building, and no one technique that I am advocating, rather a change in the relationship we have to the buildings that surrounds us. From this process and re-engagement the buildings will naturally start to reflect the place where they are built, the people who build them, and the local vernacular of that place will re-emerge.

http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/earthen_buildings_sasha3.jpg

http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/yemen_cob_skyscrapers.jpg

http://www.permaculture.org.au/images/earthen_buildings_sasha1.jpg

[gomu]

Found these the other day. Thought they might come in useful:

cm --------- inch --------- ft --------- 尺(shaku)

-- 1----------- 0.3937 ----- 0.0328 ----- 0.0330
2.5399 --------- 1 --------- 0.0833 ----- 0.8382
30.479 ---------12 ----------- 1 --------- 1.0059
30.303 -------11.9303 ---- 0.9941 -------- 1

[Yukkuri Kame]

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/Earthbag-Building-Garden-Shed.aspx

14 days, step-by-step instructions

http://earthbagbuilding.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/sunlit-dome-sm.jpg

[Yukkuri Kame]

Another step-by-step earthbag building, including pics and videos:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Step-by-Step-Earthbag-Building/

[dataGecko]

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/Earthbag-Building-Garden-Shed.aspx

14 days, step-by-step instructions

http://earthbagbuilding.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/sunlit-dome-sm.jpg

Oh, a hobbit hole of my own. Sweet. ;-) Nice finds there. Thanks.

[Yukkuri Kame]

Oh, a hobbit hole of my own. Sweet. ;-) Nice finds there. Thanks.

I'm thinking I may do earthbag dome as an initial shelter, and then be able to expand at a slower pace with the more labor intensive cob... maybe something along the lines of this to start with:

http://calearth.org/building-designs/eco-dome.html

I like the Earthaven model for settling a community. The plan was the first summer on the land they started a "hut hamlet" of cob & strawbale tiny houses. The first settlers, now experienced builders, were then to move on to build their own larger homesteads beyond the hamlet. The hut hamlet would then be turned over to next wave of newcomers. When I visited, some community members had followed this plan, others has gotten comfortable in the hamlet, and others had just started on their main homesteads right away.

I also am inspired by the "Big House, Little House, Backhouse, Barn" pattern of development of old New England farmhouses: http://www.amazon.com/Big-House-Little-Back-Barn/dp/1584653728

[Gandalf]

I actually REALLY like the earth-dome aka Earthship aka "Hobbit Hole" design for a house. I've seen some really cool modern designs based on this configuration - not small and rustic like the example above at all but something that could come straight out of StarTrek yet still be highly ecological and damned cool to live in! I was tempted to build something like this myself but thought it might be a bit ambitious for my first ever build and too much of a challenge for a countryside Japanese building company... but now - hey, why not? I think I could come up with a pretty good design for one if I sat down to think about it now.

[Yukkuri Kame]

This guy was hired to demolish an earthbag dome and found out just how strong they are:

http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/Testing/amazing.htm



The foundation of this 15' section of earthbag/papercrete wall was almost completely undermined, and the wall is still completely intact!

After I had cleared about a yard in from both sides, with nothing happening to the building, I was rather surprised. After all, this is just bags of rock stacked on top of each other, amounting to an estimated four tons of material. There were no cracks in the plaster nor sagging of the wall.
I dashed home to get a camera to record the events, and continued undermining the wall, being careful to keep out of harm's way if it should suddenly collapse. The more I dug the more amazed I became. When the wall section was precariously balanced on about one foot of scoria in the middle of the wall, and nothing had happened except one bag had fallen out onto the ground below, I snapped the picture that can be seen here.
http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/images/projects/Hangingwall.jpg

[Yukkuri Kame]

I actually REALLY like the earth-dome aka Earthship aka "Hobbit Hole" design for a house.

Just make sure you have enough clearance...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmEBqJmnCP8

[Gandalf]

OK you got me there! That's why my house has soaring cathedral ceilings with exposed rafters! Plenty of room even while wearing the wizard's hat...

[Yukkuri Kame]

FIRST EARTH is a documentary about the movement towards a massive paradigm shift for shelter ― building healthy houses in the old ways, out of the very earth itself, and living together like in the old days, by recreating villages. An audiovisual manifesto filmed over the course of 4 years and 4 continents, FIRST EARTH makes the case that earthen homes are the healthiest housing in the world; and that since it still takes a village to raise a healthy child, it is incumbent upon us to transform our suburban sprawl into eco-villages, a new North American dream.

From the FIRST EARTH website: "Because we believe that as many people as possible should have the option of seeing the FIRST EARTH film, regardless of their financial abilities, for a limited time only we are making beta versions of the 12 chapters of the film available over the internet for free! The DVD version of the film has high-quality video and audio and includes extras.
The individual chapters of the film can also be watched separately from one another. It won't have the same effect as watching the whole film from start to finish, but as part of our vision to make the content as accessible as possible, the chapters can be viewed one at a time."

Chapter 1 - What's Wrong With Architecture


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuDkfuziZiI&feature=player_embedded#at=15

Chapter 2:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11n97wW1PLQ&feature=related

The rest at the link:

http://kjpermaculture.blogspot.com/2010/12/make-mine-of-mud.html

[KenElwood]

Using nature as a design tool:

Michael Pawlyn: Using nature's genius in architecture (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QZp6smeSQA&feature=uploademail) [VID]

ken

[KenElwood]

Grow your house, tools, ideas...

Coppice Agroforestry (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coppiceagroforestry/dave-and-mark-write-a-coppice-agroforestry-book coppice-agroforestry) [VID]

ken

[Yukkuri Kame]

Grow your house, tools, ideas...

Coppice Agroforestry (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coppiceagroforestry/dave-and-mark-write-a-coppice-agroforestry-book coppice-agroforestry) [VID]

ken
404 missing link...

[KenElwood]

404 missing link...
Hmm...

How 'bout this one ? :

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coppiceagroforestry/dave-and-mark-write-a-coppice-agroforestry-book

ken

[Yukkuri Kame]

Hmm...

How 'bout this one ? :

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/coppiceagroforestry/dave-and-mark-write-a-coppice-agroforestry-book

ken

Yes, much better. Coppice makes lots of sense.

Arena Salix, living willow:
http://www.technovelgy.com/graphics/content09/living-willow-architecture.jpg

[gomu]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkhuNW_HDLc

[Yukkuri Kame]

lots of nice natural building images:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0MvMg7fmv0&feature=related

[hml]

http://www.lowimpactliving.com/blog/2009/04/10/the-most-beautiful-green-home-building-construction-project-ever/

This would make a great second home!

[hml]

http://www.flickzzz.com/2009/07/amazing-clay-house.html

Imagine if the pond was a lagoon style pool and there were several little 1LDKs hooked up to it with private access. That's the kind of neighborhood I'd like to live in!

[gomu]

[QUOTE=hml;1089967]http://www.flickzzz.com/2009/07/amazing-clay-house.html

That's the Swiss place, isn't it?

[Gandalf]

http://www.flickzzz.com/2009/07/amazing-clay-house.html


That IS pretty damn awesome!

[Yukkuri Kame]

Yes, Swiss. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_house

Similar to flyingconcrete done in mexico, though more aesthetically pleasing to my eyes.

[Yukkuri Kame]

http://www.lowimpactliving.com/blog/2009/04/10/the-most-beautiful-green-home-building-construction-project-ever/

This would make a great second home!

Meka talks about building that home in this inspiring video, which is mostly about Cob building, not so much the practice but the philosophy.

http://blip.tv/file/2166959

[hml]

Meka talks about building that home in this inspiring video, which is mostly about Cob building, not so much the practice but the philosophy.

http://blip.tv/file/2166959

Neat video! I'm starting to think of a project combining:
- cob construction,
- aquaponics, and
- rocket stove mass heater (to keep it warm in the winter)
http://www.richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp

I *almost* want to quit my job and just start building!

[hml]

one more site...

http://www.permies.com/

[hml]

Yukkuri Kame, what do you think about a bath heated by a pizza oven...?

Apparently I'm not the only one to think of this:
http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f2/how-best-heat-water-using-excess-14006.html
http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f39/using-oven-exhaust-heat-heating-slab-6892.html

Patio pizza party turns into a hot-tub part afterward? Who wouldn't like that!?

[Yukkuri Kame]

Yukkuri Kame, what do you think about a bath heated by a pizza oven...?

Heating water is one of the bigger domestic energy usages, so it makes perfect sense heat water with your "waste" heat. You are limited only by your imagination.



Patio pizza party turns into a hot-tub part afterward? Who wouldn't like that!?

Don't say that too loudly on the internet.

These folks seem happy enough.

http://images.travelpod.com/users/lifeinbrian/1.1281438960.hot-tub-times.jpg

[Yukkuri Kame]

Adobe is pretty terrible for earthquakes, but a little reinforcement can make quite a difference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zh8gU8NeVc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EUOPY0OjlQ

NZ Earth building standards, good info on how to build with earth in a seismic zone:

http://www.standards.co.nz/web-shop/?action=basicShopSearch&mod=search&SearchBox1_txtShopName=earth+building&selStatus=CURRENTANDDRAFT&catalog=NZ

The following, though 15 years old, has some interesting suggestions regarding cob:


David Murphy, a structural engineer working out of San Francisco on viewing Penny Livingston's project in Pt. Reyes was concerned with what he perceived to be a lack of shear capacity on the window filled South facing wall. This wall consists of two curved segments separated by a door and with narrow cob piers between the several window openings and the door. David's premise is that these narrow cob piers will not be strong enough to resist earthquake forces and thus create a "weak side" to the building which could lead to rotation and seismic failure. He recommended that all cob buildings in earthquake country be balanced and have a wood or concrete top bond beam to give rigidity to the top of the building.

Fred Webster, a structural engineer in Palo Alto, Ca., works with adobe and is involved currently in a project to write a rammed earth code for Sonoma County, Ca. Fred has written an article on "Adobe Codes" a copy of which is attached, Fred made these comments on the Cob Code Proposal: It's ambitious and covers more than required: The rupture test should be done from the side instead of downward - this is to keep the gravity load of the test sample mass from effecting a test result of less than the actual rupture strength: Testing should be done within an accepted ICBO format to assure that the pre-code testing results can be acceptable for ICBO review of the code proposal: Ouality control will be the big issue with building officials (this might be dealt with by having the code require a minimum material strength ). Fred estimates that an approximate material strength of 30 psi will be what is needed to meet Zone 4 seismic strength requirements (see Freds article for the seismic zone map of the USA).

Bob Bruce is a structural engineer in Emeryville, Ca., and is the editor of a report for the State of New Mexico about seismic issues regarding alternative building methods. Bob feels that some important issues regarding the seismic strength capacity of cob are: shear strength: post elastic behavior; a means of controlling cracking: using thick walls so they don't fall over when they crack from seismic forces and using mesh in the wall to keep it together, We discussed the use of straw and other possible fibers in the wall and Bob put forth the notion that the development length of the fibers is an important factor worth studying. That is to say that a fiber length in excess of a balance between the earth mixture's ability to grasp the embedded fibers and the actual tensile strength of the embedded fibers is not needed. If we can figure out how strong a given fiber material is and balance the fiber length to the earth's ability to grasp it, anything longer may not add to the strength of the wall. (This potential for using a shorter fiber length might prove worthwhile in a search for more efficent and or mechanical means of mixing cob). Bob suggested what he called the $1.98 test: making a series of small three inch cube samples of cob containing different possible fibers. These could be smashed with a hammer and would tell right away if some fibers are more promising than others. For the actual cob code testing procedure he suggested using an ASTM test protocol to assure acceptability of the test results. Bob estimates a material strength of appx. 10 psi may be what is needed to resist an eight Richter earthquake (Zone 4 maximum).

Miles Allen, a New Zealand architect working in earth building, had this to say, The cob buildings in New Zealand that have with stood earthquakes are those that are well built, well connected (continuity of structure), and well maintained, The foundation should serve to protect the wall from RISING ground moisture. The straw in the wall acts a fiber to assist with stiffness but not as a structural reinforcement. In fact, the straw, pine needles, tussock stems, etc provide irrigation channels to allow the water to leave the earth wall evenly thus reducing shrinkage and significant cracking. Miles is currently involved in a project to write three earth building codes to cover five forms of earth building. Correction for over drying sounds tricky, Determining exact percentages of soil constituents is not necessary "this isn't rocket science!". Reinforced earthwall panels six feet square by eight inches thick have been shear tested in New Zealand with excellent results, A possible construction method would be to tie a bond beam on top of the wall to the foundation with sleeved and tensioned Vertical rods in the wall at four feet on center. This would act to tie the roof diaphragm to the foundation. Shake table testing will be very expensive, it might be better to collect smaller bits of data from tension, shear and compression strength tests and extrapolate. An alternate to a shake table would be a simple swinging tilt table to simulate % of gravity lateral (sideways) loads. Relative testing of exterior wall finishes could be done With a simultaneous series of wall panels exposed similarly for a period of 10 to 15 years. An important cob variable is the moisture content: before mixing, at placement, and in service. Miles finishes to say that code writing is not for the faint hearted.
in context at:
http://www.deatech.com/natural/cobinfo/cobcode.html#Variables

[KenElwood]

My tool of the week...[ VID (http://www.youtube.com/user/cripmoorey#p/a/u/0/fkhuNW_HDLc)]
Completely overlooked this post, gomu. Otsukare there. What a score on the timber.

Hey, did you try de-barking a standing (propped up) log ? I've tried it before and it was a whole lot easier on the back. Dunno if it would be doing 200 posts, though... Shesh! That's a lot.

Cheers,

ken

[johnElarue]

;My new favorite tool

hey is that a scuffle hoe?

[gomu]

hey is that a scuffle hoe?

No idea what the proper name is... borrowed these from the wood yard, and they don't know where they came from either... said they'd been lying around since before grandad died (said by the grandson, now in his 70's).
Only had to sharpen them twice, which was pretty impressive, I thought.


Hey, did you try de-barking a standing (propped up) log ? I've tried it before and it was a whole lot easier on the back. Dunno if it would be doing 200 posts, though... Shesh! That's a lot.


there's a thought... but, as you can imagine, there's a lot of rolling logs over involved when debarking that many posts, and doing it horizontally meant that they had almost zero chance of falling on anyone.
Oh, and I found my rock source, btw. Scavenging like a pro these days ;-) Also sourced old roof tiles to use as bed/path borders.

[Antweazle]

Gomu-just a couple of random thoughts regarding your sugi fence posts:
* Cockies (farmers) in Australia use pest/disease free timber cut from the site of the fence erection for fence posts. Reduces the chance of damage to the new posts.
* After burning the lower portion of the posts to prevent pest/rotting damage, will you treat the upper part of the post? You are most likely aware of the two 44 gallon drums halved and welded together to form a trough, filled with discarded motor oil then fence posts soaked. There is another method using linseed oil?/motor oil? and the mixture heated to aid in absorption.

Currently finishing a fence here, constructed from discarded concrete posts. Old Mate next door has 'downsized' his nashi groves radically, and given me the unneeded posts previously used for supporting the overhead trellising wires.
Might be worth asking around if critters are giving you Blokes strife...
Will post some pictures when the gig is dun'n'finished.

[KenElwood]

there's a thought... but, as you can imagine, there's a lot of rolling logs over involved when debarking that many posts, and doing it horizontally meant that they had almost zero chance of falling on anyone.

Naruhodo. 200 posts... Wow.

Oh, and I found my rock source, btw. Scavenging like a pro these days ;-) Also sourced old roof tiles to use as bed/path borders.
Noice. What color are the rocks down your way ? I've got two mountain ranges on either side of me with two different types of rocks. One, volcanic (charcoal black). The other, hard-pressed granite (white & black speckles).

Ant, thanks for the tips on delaying eventual rot. Looking forward to any pictures from your place.

Cheers all,

ken

[Hamakko]

This looks like a great alternative way to provide light in rooms with no windows (obviously electric lights are required at night and on dark days though).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zMAWztZ6TI

I might just try this out in my father-in-law's windowless garage.

[society mike]

^^ pretty neat idea


or if you didn't want it to look so cheap, use some glass or recycled plastic to make long rods, polish the ends, then make a cone prism and place at the end after drilling through wall/ceiling.

My friend is building a house in Okinawa now and they are doing it in his house.

outside
http://media.ziptied.com/members/files/34/other/1.JPG

outside wall
http://media.ziptied.com/members/files/34/other/2.JPG

inside wall
http://media.ziptied.com/members/files/34/other/3.JPG

inside
http://media.ziptied.com/members/files/34/other/4.JPG

[society mike]

more...


http://media.ziptied.com/members/files/34/other/5.JPG


http://media.ziptied.com/members/files/34/other/6.JPG


http://media.ziptied.com/members/files/34/other/7.JPG

[Yukkuri Kame]

Houses, cisterns, greenhouses and an aqueduct.

http://inspirationgreen.com/plastic-bottle-homes.html?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d96e4378a184574%2C0


http://inspirationgreen.com/assets/images/Blog-Bldg-Plastic/eco-tec%20Acueducto%20Romano.JPG

http://inspirationgreen.com/assets/images/Blog-Bldg-Plastic/plastichouse%20Cruz%20family.jpg

[gomu]

Very cool link, YK. Thanks!

[hml]

Houses, cisterns, greenhouses and an aqueduct.
The greenhouse is a cute little project but I think I will pass on the PET bottle bed.

[crimsonsky]

http://www.environmentteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/solar-decathlon-home-by-Tongji-University.jpg

Link to write up (http://www.environmentteam.com/2010/07/27/sustainable-bamboo-house-for-european-solar-decathlon-competition/).

now that's amazing, would do great in my neck of the woods, still would have to strengthen it to withstand hurricanes :)

[Yukkuri Kame]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OlQd15krjw8#at=227

[Yukkuri Kame]

http://www.wholetreesarchitecture.com/index.html

[zoub09]

Friend of mine sent me this photo of a 'soil house' from South Korea. Looks like cob-cordwood to me:

13464http://forum.gaijinpot.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=13464&d=1281648294

Hi Yukkuri Kame
My name is Didier and i'm french
I've built houses with cordwood and bottles

I'm interested by Korean cordwood (i put some photos on my web site): do you know where is located those houses ?
do you have contact with Korean ?

is there some cordwood homes in Japan ?
thank's for the answer
my web site on cordwood: http://netoos.org/boiscorde

[Hamakko]

I was reading my hometown newspaper this morning and saw this award-winning cob house featured.
------------------------------------------------------------

The Greenest Modern Home in the World: Tour this one-of-a-kind cob house built in the Victoria area to last centuries
Solar panels provide more power than family can use

Every day Ann and Gordon Baird prove people need not give up any creature comforts to live in "The Greenest Modern Home in the World." The Bairds' Highlands house was awarded the title by the Cascadia Green Building Council last year.
Although the house is constructed essentially of mud, it sometimes feels like a fishbowl.
This year, their fivebedroom house is part of a research project, with sensors embedded throughout the house downloading data every day to measure energy usage. Almost every week, a busload of schoolchildren tours the house. The couple give presentations, media interviews and answer emails from curious people from all over the world.

[Continued here] (http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/Greenest+Modern+Home+World+Tour+this+kind+house+bu ilt+Victoria+area/5040224/story.html)

http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/5040633.bin?size=620x400

[hml]

I was reading my hometown newspaper this morning and saw this award-winning cob house featured.
------------------------------------------------------------


http://www.timescolonist.com/technology/5040633.bin?size=620x400

That's a pretty sweet house!

[Yukkuri Kame]

Nice cob house, love the keyhole kitchen.

CNN covers hempcrete:

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/tech/2010/08/25/dnt.nc.hemp.house.wlos.html

Here's to hoping the whole neighborhood goes to pot.

[paradoxbox]

that pop bottle light idea was wicked, really really cool tech, think i'll use that idea when i build a house and shop.