Cob in Snow

[HandyM2 at aol.com]

In a message dated 98-09-15 21:53:20 EDT, you write:

<< CRT_____ sure, but same issue    In Scotland and Wales, and the Orkney
 Islands they built  LONG buildings with all the animals at one end to take
 advantage of heat radiated by the livestock, and not have to build so many
 walls and separate buildings...it was  "fragrant" in those houses.
  >>

GRIN...  "Fragrant" indeed.  I noted in Germany about Bavaria that the older
farm houses were built 2 plus stories as the barn with livestock was on the
ground floor.  A well vented porch-airlock was at the top of the stairs.
Thusly the Thrifty German farmers could enjoy the heat from his livestock with
out that "Fragrance".  

For those who have never been around cows, I once ran a Dairy in Idaho through
the Winter.  Burr it was COLD.  Those cows simply steamed, literally.
Standing near them was standing near a heater!!  <G>

Question about Cob, pardon my ignorance as I have not hands on experence with
cob <G>  Yet...   I have never seen cob buildings over 1 story tall with
perhaps a tall attic.  Is this tradition (being rather tiring I imanage
hauling mud chunks up too high by hand <G>) or a limit in structural strength?
Is Cob used as a self supporting material (IE Bricks) or as a infill for say
Timber Framing?

Take care!

Michael