Laporte

[Eric D. Hart]

At 07:00 PM 2/18/97 -0500, Jacque Battle wrote:
> Have been trying to get my hands on Mooseprint by Robert Laporte. Books
>in print doesn't have it listed and when the 515-472-7775 tele number is
>tried at the Iowa location for the Natural House Building Center no one
>answers on several occasions nor is there an answer machine.
>   Anybody got any ideas on how to get that book and what information is
>different than Cob Cottage's booklet.

FIrst of all, here's how to contact Robert LaPorte (he doesn't live in Iowa
any more):

The Natural House Building Center
2300 West Alameda   # A5
Santa Fe, NM   87501
(505) 471-5314

And Robert LaPorte knows little or nothing about cob construction.  His
expertise (or obsession, depending on how you look at it) is in *light clay*
construction which is a different technique altogether from cob
construction.  Clay and straw are mixed together and tamped into forms which
form the non-loadbearing walls of a timber frame structure. The walls are
supposed to breathe and be inexpensive (albeit very labor intensive) to build.  
        The pamphlet "Mooseprints" is only good for 'this is why light clay
construction is great' and is not a how-to book.  I guess you are supposed
to take his workshops to find out how to do it.  Its not much more than a
pamphlet and is published by LaPorte (so wouldn't be in Books In Print).  

Eric D. Hart			
Community Eco-design Network	  
Minneapolis, MN  USA		
(612) 722-3260 
erichart at mtn.org			
http://www.tc.umn.edu/nlhome/m037/kurtdand/cen