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Building with cob

Cob is an ancient construction material composed primarily of subsoil or clay; it is similar to rammed earth, but with organic material (usually straw) added to increase strength. Its use has seen a resurgence in recent decades because it is sustainable and inexpensive (though labor intensive). Due to its high thermal density, buildings made of cob can maintain comfortable internal temperatures using passive means (depending on local climate).

Since cob is essentially sculpted in situ, cob buildings can appear quite whimsical. With no beams of wood or steel defining a building’s structure, there’s nothing preventing its builder from completely abandoning a rectilinear floor plan. Arguably, a cob building that foregoes sharp corners may be easier to construct and more efficient to heat and cool.

The Cob Builder’s Handbook: You Can Hand-Sculpt Your Own Home is both a how-to and a manifesto on building with cob.

The commodification of housing has wreaked havoc on our society. Home buyers are encouraged to think of them as “investments” and not, you know, places to live and make lives. As I write this, housing prices are spiraling out of control because of market mismanagement of another basic human need: many home builders went out of business in the previous collapse of the housing market, those who remained stopped building affordable “starter homes” because they’re less profitable as demand among the wealthy for second homes has increased, and the parasites in finance capital are snatching up record-setting levels of existing stock, looking to cash out on this crisis that they’re exacerbating.

Building techniques that are labor-intensive but approachable, such as cob building, threaten this entire dynamic by encouraging people to build homes for themselves with community help. This is not only more environmentally sustainable than our current approach to housing, it is more culturally sustainable as well.

—2022-05-24T19:44Z

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