Cob and strawbale combo (fwd)

[Shannon Dealy]

I think that the blank message we got from Patrick was supposed to be
a copy of the one he sent to the strawbale list, so here it is for
those who are not on the SB list.

Shannon Dealy
dealy at deatech.com


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 1996 10:13:27 -0400
From: patrick newberry <goshawk at gnat.net>
To: strawbale at crest.org
Subject: Re: Cob and strawbale combo

Even though I'm not quited finished with my storage building, I'm already
thinking of the next phase.
Hey got to do something to pass the time (the brain portion that is... my
body is almost too busy).
anyway I plan on making some walls strawbale and some walls cob. 
Now the normal chain of thought goes like make the south facing wall cob
(thermal mass) and the other walls strawbale (reduce heat loss).
Now thinking backwards I thought if being too hot in the summer is more of a
problem than staying warm in the winter would making the north walls cob and
the south walls strawbale. Would the cob walls remain cooler and the  south
strawbale walls help insulate this cooler cob walls. 

Also I plan using some of our trees as vigas (bark skinned tree trunk roof
supports) will a using a roof plate etc can the strawbale wall be used as
loadbearing. (I guess I'm asking is this roof type much heavier than
traditional roof types.

I mean I could make either the cob or the strawbale wall the loadbearing wall.

If the strawbale walls are not loadbearing I will be tempted to stack them
sideways because I would not loose that much insulation and use less bales.
For non load bearing wall I don't see that much of an advantage of stacking
the bales flat and using more bales. 

I want to keep the vigas exposed with somekind some kind of  living roof
using EPDM  underneith exposed straw which will be allowed to compost.