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Alternative Building Techniques:

Cob

Cob is a traditional building technique which uses a mixture of earth (sand & clay) and straw (or other fiberous materials) to create walls, floors, plasters, sculptures, etc.. Cob is similar in appearance and compressive strength to adobe, but has superior tensile strength due to structures being built as a single piece (there is no mortar or "bricks") and it's higher fiber content.

Information on cob:

• Local Resources
  • Cob Cottage Company - Cob and Natural Building Workshops, Information, and Photos of both new and old Cob structures.
  • Cob Email Discussion Group - Includes Direct Web Access to the Archives
  • Making The Building Code Work For Cob - Article by John Fordice, Other Fish Architect
  • Some Thoughts On "Adobe Codes" - Article by Fred Webster, Ph.D. Seismic Engineer
• Links to other sites
  • Hand Print Press / Kiko Denzer - Cob / Earthen ovens, artwork, and books. If you have ever wanted an earthen oven for baking or a cob sculpture (or combine the two to make a sculptural earthen oven), Kiko's books are a great place to start.
  • Outta The Box - Cob and Natural Building Workshops, edible landscaping, urban community building
  • White Oak Farm and Education Center - Cob and Natural Building Workshops, Permaculture
  • Earthed - Cob and Natural Building workshops
  • Seven Generations Natural Builders - Cob and Natural Building workshops
  • Groundworks - Cob information and workshops
  • Cob in Cornwall - Design and construction of Cob walls and buildings, repair of existing structures, assorted other services
  • CobCrew - Cob information
  • House Alive - Cob and Natural Building Workshops
  • Down to Earth Building Bee - Community Cob Projects and Workshops
  • Cob Works - Cob information, workshops, and custom cob home building
  • Kleiwerks - Cob and Natural Building workshops
  • SpiralWorks - Cob and Natural Building workshops, Sustainable living

Straw Bale

Straw bale is a simple technique which uses bales of straw which are stacked to form walls, and then plastered (possibly with cob or other natural plasters) to make them fire proof and protect them from moisture/rot. Straw bale walls provide extremely high insulation value and can be built very quickly.

Information on straw bale:

• Links to other sites
  • The Canelo Project (Strawbale and natural building workshops and information)
  • Surfin' Strawbale - The ULTIMATE source for strawbale construction links
  • CREST (Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology) - Strawbale email list & lots of other good information
  • The Last Straw - Strawbale and Natural Building newletter/journal

Other Natural Building Information

• Local Resources
  • The Corvallis Area Natural BUILDers group (CANBuild)
  • The $0 Per Square Foot House
  • Building Code Alternatives - Short article on techniques some have used to deal with the code for their natural buildings.
  • A map and detailed listing of building code requirements in the USA has been created by: Stephanie Weigel, catinmoon@yahoo.com, Thanks Stephanie!  Please keep in mind that codes are constantly changing and local interpretations can vary radically, this data should be used as a starting point, always check out everything (including changes which may be in progress) before making any decisions.
  • COMING SOON: Thatching Article (Reeeaal Sooooon Now :-)
• Links to other sites
  • Boulder Institute of Sustainability - Through hands-on education, publication, and public outreach, BIOS seeks to bring people into a sustainable relationship with our Earth's complex living systems.
  • Builders Without Borders - Promoting natural building as a means of solving social problems such as homelessness by teaching people to create healthy, affordable and sustainable housing from local materials.
  • CREST (Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology) - Strawbale email list & lots of other good information
  • Joiner's Quarterly & Fox Maple School of Traditional Building - Timber framing & traditional building
  • Sustainable Sources - Sustainable building resources and information
  • Taylor Publishing - Books and Videos on Natural and Alternative Building

Energy:

• Links to other sites
  • Home Power Magazine - Lots of good information on alternative energy and getting off the grid.

Health:

Heating & Cooling:

Social Issues:

• Links to other sites
  • Builders Without Borders - Promoting natural building as a means of solving social problems such as homelessness by teaching people to create healthy, affordable and sustainable housing from local materials.

Transportation:

• Links to other sites
  • International Human Powered Vehicles Association (IHPVA)

Waste (Sewage, Garbage, Recycling):

• Local Resources
  • The Composting Toilet - an ecologically responsible solution - Article by Flemming Abrahamsson, Fornyet Energi
• Links to other sites
  • Oasis Design - Ecological systems design. Water, wastewater, and grey water systems.
  • Humanure Handbook - Online copy of the Humanure Handbook, a guide to composting human manure.
  • Message board with online discussion of techniques for processing human manure.
  • Worm Digest - Magazine about vermicomposting (using worms to break down organic matter, fecal matter, etc.), includes a number of online articles