Cob, a natural method of creating shelter, in transition away from Leviathan.

This is an agrigarian type shelter, it can be used to help facilitate the transition away from industrial building.

Cob Characteristics

"Earth, sand and straw are mixed together and massaged onto the foundation, creating thick load bearing walls. It's like hand-sculpting a giant pot to live in." "Sand particles are the building blocks of cob. Ideally, each particle will have rough angled sides so the sand pieces interlock with each other, helping to hold the cob together." Clay acts like a mortar for the sand. Clay expands when wet and shrinks when dry. Straw increases insulation, accelerates drying, hinders cracking, increases tensile strength and lightens the mix. Water is added to the mix to make mixing easier and more suitable for application. Cob is easy, flexible, and lends itself well to organic shapes. (Becky Bee, The Cob Builders Handbook) "Building is seasonal and usually starts in spring or early summer." (Michael Moquin, Ancient Solutions for Future Sustainability: Building with Adobe, Rammed Earth and Mud). Cob can be shaped into beds, tables, bookshelves, and other furniture, imbedding it into the walls and floors. Cob is strong and durable. "No cob doesn't melt in a down pour. Cob homes last for centuries." (Becky Bee, The Cob Builders Handbook) "Cob buildings up to 1,000 years old are still in use in England and many other parts of the world." Cob is very resistant to weathering. Because of it's porous nature it withstands long periods of rain without weakening." "Unlike adobe, cob can be built in cool, wet climates like the Pacific Northwest, it's resistance to rain and cold makes cob well suited in all but the coldest parts of America." (The Cob Cottage Company, Earth Building and the Cob Revival: a Reader) Cob is insect proof and as Casey (owner of a cob house) says, "Soil, doesn't rust, like iron, or decay, like wood." (Ken Kern, A House of Clay) "What if an earthquake happens?," you say. Well, first it's important to note that "[no] building system is earthquake-proof." Albeit cob has many examples that demonstrate its strength: "A cob mansion in Nelson, New Zealand has survived without a crack, two major earthquakes which destroyed the town around it. In South Yemen, in a fault zone, there are medieval earthen houses 13 stories high. Since a cob building is one monolithic unit reinforced by straw, it has no weak straight-line mortar joints, making it stronger than brick or block." Since cob is fireproof, it can be used for building ovens, stoves, chimneys, and other vessels used to contain fire. (The Cob Cottage Company, Earth Building and the Cob Revival: a Reader) "Cob walls also muffle sound, making a quiet indoor space." (Becky Bee, The Cob Builders Handbook)

Cob is also ideal for Solar Passive Design. "Solar heating a dwelling by passive (non-mechanical) means requires two things: south facing windows (if you are in the Northern Hemisphere) to admit the suns radiation, and interior thermal mass for heat absorption, heat storage, and heat release. Thermal mass materials include high-density substances such as [sand and earth (in cob), stone foundations], adobe, rammed earth, fired brick, or concrete. Excess thermal energy beyond the needs of daytime heating is stored within the mass of the walls and floor. As the sun sets and the interior temperature begins to gently change, the stored solar energy is naturally released throughout the night to keep the home warm." A "low mass house [is likely to] overheat in the daytime [depending on conditions]." Cob walls and floors provide plenty of thermal mass, the thicker the walls the more mass. Cob walls are generally in the range of a foot to two feet thick, but can be built to any thickness desired. (Michael Moquin, Ancient Solutions for Future Sustainability: Building with Adobe, Rammed Earth and Mud). The interior temperature in a cob house is "cool when it's hot, but warm when it's cold," thus reducing one's dependence on technology for artificial heating and cooling, as well as reducing the energy required to maintain comfortable interior temperatures. (Christina Alexander, The $500 House)

Cob houses act as a "third-skin" (the second layer being clothes), and need to "breath" to stay intact and keep the occupants healthy. The shell of a house must facilitate an exchange of air and moisture to allow toxins to leave and fresh air to enter, to allow moisture to escape so the inside doesn't become damp. (Ken Kern, A House of Clay)

Next is the topic of roofs. You can create any type of roof that you wish with cob. There are all kinds of varieties of roofs like vaults, cone shaped, gable, shed, double shed with clearstory windows, gambrel, hipped/pyramid, organic shaped, domed, et al. Some roofs are made with a layer of soil on top to be planted as a garden (sod roof). You can also use any roofing materials. Thatching appeals the most to me. Tiles, slate, and recycled corrugated metal are some other options. If the walls slightly taper inward as they rise (5 degrees is a nice taper) the structure will have greater stability, especially if buttressing is utilized. "Masonry arches, vaults, and domes are some of the most amazing architectural feats"; "these roof-spanning structures are kept strong by the pull of gravity. Working by means of compression and uniformly distributing loads."(Michael Moquin, Ancient Solutions for Future Sustainability: Building with Adobe, Rammed Earth and Mud) Round homes are stronger than homes made of straight walls and it has been said by many that walking into a round cob home is like walking into a hug.

Health and Ecology

The current dominant construction industry in the U.S. operates on the opposite end of the spectrum, in relation to the goals that I am seeking. Many of the materials utilized have the result of massive amounts of pollution as by-products of their manufacture and use. Insulation, finishes, cement plasters, and toxic paints are causing harm to ourselves and all of the natural creation. Many of these materials [used to build containment units referred to as houses, schools, churches, jails, etc.] from which toxic out-gassings issue, include synthetic resins used in plastics manufacture and chemical formulations, like those for the many products containing formaldehyde. An article appearing in U.S. News and World Report (October 8, 1984, p.20) cites a study which contends that indoor pollutants are responsible for [fully] half of all illness occurring in the United States. Specifically, it is claimed that air-tight housing fails to breath, to admit fresh and expel foul air along with unwanted moisture build-up. This causes an unremitting accumulation of indoor pollutants resulting in household occupants suffering "allergies, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and various eye, nose, and throat problems." Treatment of these building related infirmities is estimated to cost [in monetary terms] American citizens $100 billion a year. Furthermore, this type of chronic ailment is on the increase since, in an effort to conserve energy supplies, we are constantly solicited to upgrade the insulation and weatherproofing of the buildings in which we live and work. (Ken Kern, A House of Clay)

"The focus [for places that people are to dwell in] should be on peoples needs, and we need clean water, safe materials, and durability." (William McDonough, Design, Ecology, Ethics, and the Making of Things) "For those who [have noticeable allergic reactions] to modern processed materials and finishes, the healthy interior environment of an earthen home is a refreshing alternative."(Michael Moquin, Ancient Solutions for Future Sustainability: Building with Adobe, Rammed Earth and Mud) Not only have I found the materials in cob construction to be non-hazardous but in fact there are healing properties as well. "I found that many practicing health therapists were applying concoctions made of clay [an ingredient in cob buildings], which they thought contained revitalizing properties found in no other healing substances. Indeed, for centuries the medics of antiquity had used clay to cure all manner of human ills. Apparently, clay's absorptive capacity reduces the degree by which, one is affected, from a handful of substances encountered by the human body. On a molecular level, clay exhibits a negative electrical charge, attracting to itself the many toxic entities that bear positive charge." (Ken Kern, A House of Clay) "I've heard claims of cob healing just about everything from anorexia to arthritis!" (Becky Bee, The Cob Builders Handbook)

It is essential to have the space that we live in and amongst to flow in harmony with the local natural flows. To be integrated into the local ecology is necessary for sustainability. "We are not apart from nature, we are a part of it." (CRASS) All that is taken from the earth shall be done so with reverence and love, returning a replenishing gift, so as not to disrupt the natural cycles of all. "The construction industry is a major contributor to deforestation, mining, and pollution." (The Cob Cottage Company, Earth Building and the Cob Revival: a Reader) "Two billion tons of clean water is used annually to manufacture the worlds cement supply." (Ken Kern, A House of Clay) "As resources diminish, re-using building materials becomes more urgent. The mainstream building industry shows little regard for how it's products will be re-used and is a massive creator of waste, impoverishing future generations. (The Cob Cottage Company, Earth Building and the Cob Revival: a Reader)

Cob homes being made of straw, clay, silt, stone, water and other natural ingredients makes cob not only recycled but recyclable. "If what we make with our hands is to be sacred and honor the earth that gives us life, than the things that we make must not only rise from the ground but return to it, soil to soil, water to water, so that everything that is received from the earth can be freely given back without causing harm to any living system. This is ecology. This is good design." (William McDonough, Design, Ecology, Ethics, and the Making of Things) Using a diversity of local natural materials reduces transportation of industrial materials and the pollution resulting from transit. Earthen homes can easily be made without using wood, thus greatly reducing wood consumption and saving forests. Earth dwellings can easily be built into the sides of cliffs, onto hills, saving valleys and lower lands for wilderness and polycultural forest gardens. This allows more space for other species of plant and animal life. This providing of more space for our fellow earthlings will allow for more diversity to flourish, thus ensuring a greater chance of survival.

Natural building is seasonal, it flows with the cycles of nature, aligned with the natural rhythms. "Most houses are designed to alienate people from nature, but ours reveal the solar and lunar cycles and emphasize the character and climate of the site. Through careful placement of openings, focus on views, integrating outdoor spaces and encouraging wildlife, the residents of our buildings become more aware of the natural world." "Our inspiration comes from direct observation of nature, and from the wisdom of traditional cultures. We are committed to deconsumerizing, to reduce the flow of cash, resources and waste, and helping others do the same." (The Cob Cottage Company, Earth Building and the Cob Revival: a Reader)

Autonomy

"Industrial cartels, the building industry and government have all conspired to prevent ordinary people from building their own homes." (The Cob Cottage Company, Earth Building and the Cob Revival: a Reader) "Earthen construction has several bureaucratic and political obstacles." First, the 'developed' world through it's institutional decision makers in government, education, banking and business, has tended to incorrectly view earthen construction as primitive and unreliable." (Michael Moquin, From Pis sa' ANI To Picuris) "Resistance to earthen housing persists from those whose economic, psychological, cultural, institutional and political [short-term] well-being is threatened by it. (Jean Dethier, Down to Earth) The manufacturers of the products of mainstream construction and others profiting off the current building system, through their lobbyists and trade associations have created and influenced national building codes.

"Building with cob is a powerful... statement/action, greatly reducing the [imposed] need for the mortgage systems, lumber and construction industries, and petrochemical companies. Cob builders spend less of their lives working to pay for all of the above, and more time living." No skilled labor or mechanized tools are necessary to build a cob home. "Today in the modern western world, most womyn are isolated from one another and are usually dependent on men and/or the patriarchal system for their shelter. Cobbing is a way for womyn to experience a sense of community and be empowered to make more life choices for themselves." Children, womyn and men of all ages and abilities have been taught everything needed to build a cob home. "Cobbing requires defining what it is that you want. This process will give you a clearer picture of who you are! You will be the creator of your environment in every step of the process: designing, building, and decorating!" "You'll get to know the inventor in yourself, the artist, the inspired creator, the designer, the organizer, the homemaker. Become familiar with your own ingenuity and intelligence." Cobbing will help you develop confidence in the many facets of your being." (Becky Bee, The Cob Builders Handbook)

"Because suitable earth for building [about 74% of the earths crust (Jean Dethier, Down to Earth)] is locally available throughout the world, little or no transportation is required."(Michael Moquin, Ancient Solutions for Future Sustainability: Building with Adobe, Rammed Earth and Mud) This allows homes of earth to be more accessible to all because of the dramatic decrease in cost and complexity. The homeless and poor have the opportunity to take part in creating their own affordable housing. Cob buildings can be created in accordance to personal and family taste. Since the production can be local and decentralized, D.I.Y. (Do-It-Yourself) housing is promoted. Building homes without any outside help comparatively has been neglected in the course of western style industrialization. "The autonomy of the user, who may be a local collective or a whole society is more than a means to an end. For being able to define [one's] own relationship to local resources and requirements" provides a basis for freedom. It does not encroach upon another to do the same. It acts as a conductor of mutual understanding and interpreter of intentions between [humans] and the world. Earth architecture is not merely an economic expediency, but a social force with incalculably beneficial effects."(Jean Dethier, Down to Earth)

We must go right outside of the framework of the monetary system, bypass the factories and ignore the contractors." (Hussan Fathy) Self-help housing gives us a tool to be mastered, not a tool to be mastered by.

Economics and Politics

"Our economy turns people into consumers by convincing them that they have needs that only industrial goods and services can satisfy. In industrial society, professionals establish and define needs, then certify themselves as uniquely qualified to fill them." "Building codes make so-called improvements mandatory, and demand that construction be carried out under the supervision of an architect. The license originally intended to protect the consumer against incompetence or fraud is turned into a legal weapon to coerce the consumer into employing licensees and buying industrial products." (Jean-Louise Bourgeois, Mud Versus Money: Adobe in Africa, Asia, and the U.S. Southwest) "Industrial corporations and multi-nationals who produce building materials, as well as the technical consultants responsible for employing them, occasionally seek to discredit unbaked earth in order to protect their market. By making predominant use of cement, steel, aluminum, and oil-derivatives for over half a century, conventional architecture has encouraged the growth of industrial monopolies. Their dependence leads them to favor these markets, even though the plants that produce these materials have a renowned capacity for devouring energy and causing pollution." "Energy used in industrial and domestic construction can represent from 20 to 25 percent of a nations total energy consumption."(Jean Dethier, Down to Earth) "Dependence on the market, at first 'voluntary', often cannot be reversed [easily]." (Jean-Louise Bourgeois, Mud Versus Money: Adobe in Africa, Asia, and the U.S. Southwest)

"[Nature] is an extraordinarily complex and efficient system for creating and cycling nutrients, so economical that modern methods of manufacturing pale in comparison to the elegance of natural systems production."(William McDonough, Design, Ecology, Ethics, and the Making of Things) The materials used for cob can be collected for free or cheap and many times one can recycle materials (like paint cans-ventilation holes, car doors-windows, glass/windows, reclaimed wood, furniture, etc.) that would have taken up landfill space. This reduces the amount of landfills being built and maintained, which now costs nearly $125 million per landfill. (J. C. Jenkins, The Humanure Handbook - and might I add some darn good reading)

"To reduce energy costs, we emphasize careful siting, passive solar design and compact interiors. The results are regionally appropriate, resource efficient, and spiritually inspiring, reflecting our highest aspirations." "As real earnings decline, housing costs continue to rise, trapping people into 30 year mortgages. Homeowners take jobs they can't stand to pay for houses that don't suit them." "As family size drops, new houses continue to get bigger. Most are huge boxes unsuited to their occupants needs and costly to maintain - wasteful in space, energy use and materials. We need inspiring examples of much smaller homes. In contrast to the industries emphasis on size, we demonstrate quality of materials, [craftpersonship], and beautiful spaces. We believe your home should be a work of art, a daily inspiration to live in." (The Cob Cottage Company, Earth Building and the Cob Revival: a Reader) "By keeping the scale small, one can build in places that conventional houses would never fit, and complete the project quickly with a minimum of labor and materials." (Christina Alexander, The $500 House) "Use of earth requires neither an economy which dominates nor one which is dominated, and this guarantees the maintenance of ecological equilibrium." "Owner-builder construction helps relieve unemployment and helps reduce social inequalities by eliminating the need for economic intermediaries."

Culture and Social Perspective

"In the process of our ["advancement"], we've virtually made bankrupt the planets ecosystem, while also corrupting social values and spawning a pernicious unconcern for the welfare and survival of others" (Ken Kern, A House of Clay) "Our culture has adopted a design strategy that essentially says that if brut force or massive amounts of energy don't work, your not using enough of it. We've made glass buildings that are more about the building than they are about people. We've used glass ironically. The hope that glass would connect us to the outdoors was completely stultified by making the buildings sealed. We have created stress in people because we were meant to be connected to the outdoors, but instead we are trapped."(William McDonough, Design, Ecology, Ethics, and the Making of Things) "Disillusionment with heavy technology became common in the West during the 1970's. Since then we have learned to see the frantic race for 'progress' as irresponsible and all the more so since it may lead to the destruction of traditions: a cultural 'scorched earth' strategy. In their euphoria, many decision makers believed they could dispense with traditions, and drive us into a state of amnesia. But the consequences of these errors have been heavy." (Jean Dethier, Down to Earth) "The hope is that time will show future generations that many of the [once thought to be] advantages of industrial culture are superficial when purchased at the cost of alienation." (Jean-Louise Bourgeois, Mud Versus Money: Adobe in Africa, Asia, and the U.S. Southwest)

There are some other obstacles currently preventing cob and other forms of natural building from becoming widespread in use. Some architects, especially of the Third World, trained in the U.S. sometimes view earthen homes as hovels fit for the destitute, there is a social and "professional" prejudice. "Another obstacle is that current formal education of architects and structural engineers is deficient in it's omission of information about the performance and structure of earth walled systems."(Michael Moquin, Ancient Solutions for Future Sustainability: Building with Adobe, Rammed Earth and Mud) "Among other benefits, recognition and defense of vernacular values would slow the flow of ecological refugees from countryside to the city." "Shaken by environmental damages and runaway debt, the industrialized world is frightened as the dream of extravagance fades." "Vernacular architectures beauty and ingenuity remind us that simplicity of means is not poverty of means." Its time for a practical, ethical, expressive, ecologically sound, and humane approach to building. (Jean-Louise Bourgeois, Mud Versus Money: Adobe in Africa, Asia, and the U.S. Southwest)

"At least 20 different traditions of earthen construction are known." "The wide variety of ways of building in earth represents a guarantee against cultural imperialism, such as the imposition of a uniform idea [as in regards to building structure and style]."

"[Cob] is the most versatile of building technology." (The Cob Cottage Company, Earth Building and the Cob Revival: a Reader) "In form it is free and flowing." (Ken Kern, A House of Clay) Cob lends itself to organic shapes: curved walls, arches, and vaults. Building with cob is a sensory and aesthetic experience like sculpting with clay. You can add on, cut out, or reshape at any time, even after the cob is dry."(The Cob Cottage Company, Questions and Answers About Cob)

It is estimated that either forty percent to fifty percent (Michael Moquin, Ancient Solutions for Future Sustainability: Building with Adobe, Rammed Earth and Mud) or three fourths (Ken Kern, A House of Clay) of the world's inhabitants live in earth shelters, depending on the source.

Earth building provides the opportunity for cooperative labor and "[in] a culture where mutual aid flourishes, usually in a self-sufficient economy there is a keen incentive for labor intensive rather than capital intensive investment." "Commercial transport and availability of manufactured building materials tends to blunt the sense of communal consciousness and dispense with the need for group participation in the building process." (Ken Kern, A House of Clay) Building with the earth gives one the connection and awareness in being a part of nature. Have fun and love what you're doing. Cob is sensible and enlightening. It allows one to get acquainted with oneself and fellow cobbers through the conversations that tend to arise from the mud. Gentleness, happiness, as a child of the earth, building to rhythmic patterns. To function as a clan, with a sense of adventure. Deep sharing to be bonded with friendship and respect for one's surroundings. Experiencing one's creative drive with a sense of peace and calmness. And this type of construction site, unlike many others, is safe for the welcoming of people of all ages, and other non-human animals.

Survive