Looky what I just received: Volume 1 ( 1995-2002 ) & Volume 2 ( 2003 -2011 ) of the CobWeb archives.
Now you can get all the back issues of the CobWeb. The only journal devoted to cob construction – your best resource for technical updates, news of cob projects all over the world, and opportunities to practice and learn.
It also promotes de-consumerism, personal empowerment, and the philosophy and ethics of natural building.
Edited by Michael G. Smith and published bi-annually by the Cob Cottage Company.
Authors: Michael Smith, Ianto Evans and many contributors from the natural building community.
The Year of Mud is one novice builder’s story of building his first cob house, a home constructed largely of natural, local materials, many literally straight from the earth and surrounding ecosystem.
A documentary story and inspirational guide for other individuals wanting to create more sustainable, simple, human homes, The Year of Mud demonstrates one example of building that is intuitive, inexpensive, earth-friendly, and creative. And muddy, too, of course.
Make sure to see what Ziggy and friends are up to on The Year of Mud ( the web site ).
Also check out the upcoming workshops on Timber Framing and Straw Bale construction.
The Book Preview it and Buy it.
Use promo code NEWBLURB for 20% off!
On a scavenging trip to Santa Fe, to gather solar hot water panels, I ran across this solar wall or Trombe Wall. The south face of the house is fully glazed with insulated glass. The idea here is to collect the solar gain in a dense mass behind the glazing. In this case it’s a concrete wall painted black for maximum heat absorption. The solar wall charges up during the day and radiates heat to the inside space like a radiator. This particular model has no air vents, but often there are air vents that transport hot air into the living space via convection. High mass material such as concrete or cob leaks heat easily to the outdoors. Since the mass is behind glass it’s protected from the outdoor temperature swings.
This would work well with cob too, making a cob wall a lot more energy efficient in cold climates.
Another benefit of using a trombe wall with cob is you wouldn’t ever need to re-plaster it!
Thinking of building an earthen home? Cob, adobe, earthbag, compressed earth block ( CEB ), rammed earth, sod or terrón. What ever flavor of earthen architecture you choose, this may be useful in planning the structure and working with local building officials.
