Cob: Cold Temps

[John Fordice]

Ocean & all,

Yesterday (sunday 8/11/01, Ocean wrote:

>>btw:  as far as i know (and ianto evans of the cob cottage company
will 
confirm) there are no (absolutely none) scientific analyses available on 
cob structures,..........<< 

To my knowledge also, this is unfortunately the case.  Aside from some
limited study at U of Plymouth in the UK, and the results of some
project  specific compression testing, there is a definite lack of
tested data relative to cob................

>>.......since those of us who build with cob don't have the 
riduculous amounts of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ or time to waste on such academic 
ventures........, <<

I've been pushing for this needed cob testing work to get done for
several years now  & it all really does boil down to funding.  In 1997 I
developed to a budget do lab level testing all the way up to & including
shake table testing of 1/2 scale simple cob buildings.   The goal is to
develop data that will allow accurate prediction of the seismic
performance of cob when it is built to a given set of standards.  This
work is critical if cob is to progress beyond it's current "fringe"
status in so far as acceptance by the wider world of North American
housing is concerned.  The key to this is acceptance of cob into the
building codes to which just shy of 100% of all users of housing in our
culture are subject.  The cost of this basic work in 1997 was
approximately 1/2 million $ and two years out of someone's life.

I must differ, however, with the opinion expressed that this goal isan
.....academic waste....!!!.  Like it or not, we who reside in N America
are a dominant culture in many ways, and one of the worst is in our use
of planetary resources.  The N. American housing market is responsible
for the consumption of HUGE amounts of materials, energy and land. 
There is a whole world out there merrily zipping along trashing the
planet in the name of housing, profit and greed.  Cob has a lot to offer
to the dismal situation created by these blindered forces if it can only
gain mass acceptance.  It's all well and good that the more creative
individuals among us are adding beauty and sensibility to the world via
building with cob.   The problem, however,  is that our efforts are in
fact quite limited in scope and in reality, we're like gnats on the ass
of this gigantic elephant (probably even less than that actually) when
it comes to having any significant impact. 

This is a situation that needs change.  One can hope that the limited
efforts of the cob fringe will somehow add to the slowly building
"critical mass" of cultural chance, but in my opinion, the race is
currently being won ( or lost, as the case may be ) by those who choose
to see less than the larger picture.  We CAN do better if we but try !!!


>>.....besides we feel that 500++ years of real world experience in 
cob building seems to be enough to convince us of the safety of earthen 
architecture<<

hey, what are you afraid of??? <<
"
There is really nothing to be afraid of either way.  
It's all important work
On what ever level any of use choose to follow it: 
Building from "the back of an envelope"  is just as valuable when it
come to setting our and other minds free,
 as is going beyond the ( perhaps 100% right..... or possible also
seriously flawed ) level of anecdotal and empirical methods of building
with cob. 
It all needs to be done !!!

There is a danger in building with cob based on empiricism, if the
basics of sound structure are ignored either through an innocent lack of
understanding ( i.e. a lack of experience ) as one extreme , or perhaps 
through ego driven foolish arrogance at the other extreme.  If a cob
building fails sometime in the future and someone is injured or killed
as a result, it will be cob that is the looser.  Such a blow to cob's
reputation is better to be avoided if possible.  I personally feel it is
incumbent on all of use who chose to build with cob to do so in a manner
that acknowledges this .   We are the modern ambassadors of this great
gift from the past & we have a responsibility to not blow it for cob in
the midst of our personal quests.

john fordice
The Cob Code Project