I’ve been drawing buildings for some time now. It’s really taken over my drawing time… instead of drawing pictures of landscapes or pretty little flowers I spend my time creating what I would call organic architecture. I hope to post more drawings, plans, and ideas as time goes on.
Features of the Cob Courtyard:
Community Space for Artists and Residence
Water catchment for watering plants
Built-in fireplace
Natural Building Materials
Archway made of Cob
Sculpture space
Mini outdoor amphitheater
‘Cannon River Commons’ access
A while back Ianto Evans asked for ideas on a cob symbol / icon in the CobWeb. Many drawings have dots, scratches, circles and lines to represent different materials. I purpose the two crescent symbol to represent Cob.
Variations on the symbol could represent added material. For example the three crescent glyph could represent more clay; while the cross inside the C – more straw; the dot- more sand. This might be useful for designers to specify where to add more of a specific material.
In cob building, different areas require more of one material for maximum performance. An example might be the arch in the drawing below. This wall could benefit from corbel cobs, cob made with a healthy amount of straw, in the arch. The addition of the straw will make for a stronger arch due to the added tensile strength. A sandier mix might be used for the tops of the walls or as a plaster.
I’d love to hear what your thoughts are…
This is my newest design for a net-zero energy house. It is small, passive solar, and relatively easy to construct. Materials used are cob, straw-bale, engineered timber, SIP, and integrated solar roofing.
It’s code name is Solunit- a brother to the Moonunit.
First Earth, by David Sheen available on DVD