Cob: rock core cob wall

[ken skeen]

I've a bunch of rock and was thinking of constructing a round cob structure 
with a rock core.  I'd make 2 perimeters of heavy-guage wire fencing - 
perhaps 2 to 3 feet apart and fill the interior with rubble.  Cross wire 
ties would be added every 8 inches or so to keep the fence from bowing out.  
I've see highway depts. do this sort of thing for retaining walls.  After I 
achieved height with this wall, I'd cob the interior and exterior with say 
2-4 inches of cob.  My goal with this structure is to not use concrete and 
make use of the rock resource.  When the building's life-span completes, I'd 
(or somebody) would just recycle the wire and let the rest go back to the 
earth.  I'm thinkin the structure would also be somewhat earthquake 
resistant.  I'm curious what sort of insulation value a cob encased rubble 
wall would provide.  My main concern is that the wire would rust and the 
wall would fail.  I plan on giving this a shot at some point and would 
appreciate any comments.
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