[Cob] Re:Design Concept (washed dung)

[jane at kirstinelund.dk]

At the museum where I have studied archaeology they build a house with
watlle-and-daub walls 25 years ago, using pure cow dung. Houses with walls
of this material are found in our area in the late iron age (around
400-1000 AD, as we are a little late in joining Historical Time and the
Middle Ages in the northern part of Europe).

The building have hardly been used or sustained since it was build, and of
course the walls have some cracks, but for a 25 year old house left alone
in the forest it looks pretty well. The dung walls are more water
repellant and isolating than clay walls - and they haven't smelled sine
they dried. It is very important, however, to use dung from cows living
from grass alone, or there will mot be enough fibers.

I'm sure that dung will be exellent for cob, also, as an extra
ingredience. Cat shit is the secret ingredience in our cob - not
voluntarily, but try leaving a large pile of sand around at a farm full of
cats

Jane