[Cob] cob building design acceptance

[Damon Howell]

Just to be simple on the attempt to get cob approved, how much does  
the design (i.e. shape) of a cob house have to do with persuasion?  
Cob homes here in the states are organic shaped whereas the ones I've  
seen in Europe are more straight forward. Maybe a big reason for this  
is the Cob Cottage Company's suggestion of designing your house  
around your daily activities. I mean, if I were an inspector and  
someone come to me with a design that had curved walls I would  
automatically say it wasn't going to work. BUT, if the same person  
came to me with a four-corner, straight walled design I'd be more  
accepting of the plan, as long as I could see first hand the material  
it was going to be built of. Why are Americans such "purists" and  
want to build their "illegal" homes to look like something out of a  
fairy tale? Besides it's cool and it's possible. I'm sure the English  
recognized the plasticity of cob but they didn't push it beyond four  
corners.
Damon in GA