Fw: Cob: Cold Sink

[Matthew HALL(SED)]

Just a few ideas and suggestions here...

If you construct a building and then start to excavate the floor from inside you may create
structural issues. The base of the wall distributes its load (self-weight and live loading, eg
wind, snow etc) to the subsoil, and this force is normally distributed at a 45 degree angle to the
point of contact. Problems arise when you remove some of the ground onto which this is bearing!
Also, lateral pressures in the soil (caused by loading) may cause it to cave in. 

Perhaps it would be better to have your 'cold store' outside away from the building and covered by
a small outbuilding or shed, preferebaly a lightweight one. 

Generally speaking when you start to dig down any great depth you can actually start to gain heat,
albeit a small amount, from geothernmal energy. Michael Reynolds talks of this in his earthships
books as most of his buildings are partially buried to make use of this heat. If you are digging
into permafrost, however, i doubt this is feasable using hand tools. 

Regards
Matthew
____________________________________________________________________
Matthew Hall BSc (Hons) GradBEng
Centre for the Built Environment
Unit 9 Science Park
Sheffield Hallam University
Pond Street
Sheffield S1 1WB
England

Tel: +44 (0) 114 225 3200
Fax: +44 (0) 114 225 3206
E-mail: M.Hall at shu.ac.uk
Webpage: http://www.shu.ac.uk/schools/sed/earth