Cob: RE: Domes ...

[John Schinnerer]

Aloha,

-----Original Message-----
From: Rosemary Lyndall Wemm [mailto:lyndall at neurognostics.com.au]

>I've been reading a bit on Hassar Fahey's house building for the poor in
>Egypt.  Fascintating, but low on "how to" and whether such techniques could
>be translated to different climates successfully....

My understanding thus far is that Fathy's work (and Nader Kahlili's, etc.)
originates in and is primarily suitable for arid climates (Egypt, middle
east, N. Africa, N. American SW, etc.). This is not so much a matter of
structural forms (dome, vault) as it is of materials (*earthen* dome,
*earthen* vault).  Domes and vaults have been built in all climates - using
materials that can handle the climate where they're built (stone, shingled
wood, bent poles covered with hides and/or fabrics, blocks of snow, etc.).
In arid climates moisture effects on earthen dome and vault integrity is
simply not an issue.  Elsewhere, it is, as has been mentioned...I think some
posts about the collapsing cob dome or vault are probably in the list
archives.

I'm not aware of any pre-industrial cultures that built above-ground earthen
domes/vaults other than in extremely arid regions...and I suspect there's
probably good reasons for that!  ;-) 

John Schinnerer