Cob cob in Italy (fwd)

[Cedterra]

>From: "Cedterra" <cedterra at tin.it>
>To: <duckchow at mail2.greenbuilder.com>, <lorax at ap.net>
>Subject: cob in Italy
>Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1998 22:58:29 +0100
>X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
>X-Priority: 3
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>
>
>Dear Mike and Michael,
>
>Thanks for your quickly answer!
>
>I apologize for my bad knowledge of english, but i guess you will
>understand me.
> I write from Italy, in Abruzzo, a region with many old cob buildings.. In
>1934 there was 7000 cob houses, now there are only 700. In the last year
>the administration have make a recensment of this buildings, and now is
>born a Documentation Center with the goal to improuve the conservation and
>the reneval of this kind of architecture.
>
>We don't mind to make a museum, but to promote e different kind of relation
>with the environment, and what is really interesting is to conserv all the
>landscape around the cob houses. Therefor we are too interested to develop
>a new cob architecture, to show what is possible to build with mud.
>
>As a Center we like to develop collborations and exchanges with groups,
>association, architects and builders that are working with mud and
>expecially with cob.I thank you for all the adress you have send me, thats
>very usefull for me!
>
>I'm an architect and I have work in some building place in Belgium,
>Holland, Suisse and Germany with different mud technics for not bearing
>construction, but never with cob.
>Now I'm helping to start this documentation center.
>
>About this building I have some (a lot of!) technical question, I hope you
>like to help me somehow
>
>1) Offen theese old houses have no special basement and there are problems
>of erosion for the running water. Is it god to make only an esternal
>protection in stone or burn bricks for the first 60 cm.? Should we take
>away the basement piece by piece and rebuild it with stones?
>
>2) This region have earthquakers problem, how is cob working? Actually the
>low for earthquackers doesen't give the permission to meke new houses with
>clay, how is the law in your region? Exist some law or scientific
>information  about cob somewhere?
>
>3) When you have an erosion on the wall, a deep erosion (about 20 cm) ,
>what do you do? Can you restore only with a new cob mixture? How to connect
>the new with the old? Can you put some wooden frame or naels?
>
>4) How to make a plaster or a clay rendering on a old wall?
>
>5) There is a tradition of old cob buildings in your region? Have you
>specialise handwarkers or building companies on it?
>
>After all theese serious poblems we have a nice September party every year,
>visit US !! for the next Festa della Terra  the first days of September
>1999 , from the 2 to the 4th.
>
>thanks for your help!
>
>greetings
>
>barbara
>
>
>P.S.
>we are organising at the moment an international Photographical Competition
>about raw earth, now we have ask the patronage to other european earth
>national association like the Dacheverband Lehm for Germany, the IG Lehm
>for Suisse and Austria, Terramorpho for Belgium and Holland,
>Interaccion-Navapalos for Spain, and CRATerre, ICCROM and Icomos.
>It can be very good to contact this Devon association, do you have too
>their E mail or the telephone number?
>Do you think is possible to extend this at America? Do you know some group
>that can be interested?
> I send you the presentation text.
>
>“L'uomo costruisce con le sue proprie mani,
> la mano dell'uomo è affettuosa,
>non conosce la forma quadrata.
> Anche la terra è morbida, affettuosa.
> E anche la pioggia è affettuosa,
>la pioggia cade, le piace cadere,
> le piace seguire forme affettuose.
> Le mani dell'uomo
>sono fatte per accarezzare
>la donna la pioggia e la terra.”
>
>Diankouno Dolo dei Dogon
>
>“Non ho nessuna intenzione di mettere a nudo il mio crudo “
>
>Anonimo italiano
>
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