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In November and December 2005, I returned to the West Coast, after a 7 month absence, to document more cob buildings, some that I'd missed the first time around in the summer of 2004, and some that had sprouted in the last year and a half. For almost a month, I slept in a different cob house almost every night and interviewed their occupants. I know that the first edition of "Cascadia Cob" was important in that it provided a resource for people who want to build with cob, but need to convince other people of their beauty, or even of their existence, in order to do so. This was the case with the cob courtyard wall in Toronto, and many cob enthusiasts have since contacted me over the internet for more information about earth building. On this tour, I took the time to get out to Mayne Island, British Columbia; this record of their work should put Canada squarely on the cob map. In Vancouver, I attended an awards reception in which a completely cob building received a building award from a mainstream architectural organization. Not that mainstream acceptance should be the movement's only goal, but congratulations are definitely in order for the pioneering work being done in B.C. Heartfelt thanks to all of the cob home owners who opened their houses up to me, and offered me food, lodging, and horizontal surfaces to fall unconscious on. A special thank you to all of the amazing cob builders who I am always learning from and being inspired by. Sorry if I've gotten some of the details wrong, I've tried to label the images accurately. Please correct me if you know any differently. There are many cob buildings that I visited and photographed, but chose for various reasons not to include in this portfolio. There are even more cob structures that exist, but that I was unable to visit in person, simply for lack of time and money. Still, I feel that this collection is fairly representative of the diversity of Cascadia Cob circa 2005, from humble compost toilets to massive cob palaces. Enjoy! Please direct specific questions about cob to the Cob Mailing List, where many knowledgeable people with be happy to help you. Visit http://www.deatech.com/mailman/listinfo/coblist.
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