What is cob?
Cob is a lump or rounded mass in usein England as early as the 13th Century. Composed of sand, straw and a clay subsoil, it is mixed with water to produce a malleable material. When fully dried, cob becomes extremely hard, and will last for hundreds of years.
"Cob" or working with shaped earth has many names and comes in several 'forms' around the world. Despite the extremes of the wet season in places like Sahel, Africa, the use of earth build is both durable and breathtakingly stunning. Some of the best examples of building with earth in this way can be found North Yemen. IN regions where the risk of erosion from high winds or rain, a great deal of importance is paid to renders. In France (Brittany) the word for cob is "bigots"
Clay tests are conducted on site or using the clay used for building to determine sand / clay ratios
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Our economic success depends on a healthy environment and the sustainable use of natural resources
Launched at the House of Commons December 2008, the Green Foundations 2009 report argues that rather than threatening the future of environmental policy, the current financial crisis actually reinforces the need for a rapid move towards a low carbon, resource efficient economy.
The report says that "Our economic success depends on a healthy environment and the sustainable use of natural resources"
The report draws on new evidence and research that substantiates a positive interaction between high quality environmental regulation and economic growth – enabling companies to become more efficient and productive, and creating new opportunities to secure the jobs and wealth of the future. It argues that far from presenting a crisis for environmental policy making, the challenges posed by the credit crunch actually reinforce the urgent need to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon, resource efficient economy and align economic, environmental and societal impacts.
Resource file: 
Green Foundations 2009
This shot is of a series of cob balls made of various types of mud and renders.
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The top two cob balls in the picture have been rendered (covered) in lime - the light brown ball to the left is made from lime and dung. Other cob balls in this picture are made from horse, alpaca and cow dung. Some of our other tests introduced animal hair into the mix.
Musgum -
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Musgum, an ethnic group in far north province in Cameroon. Architect: unknown. Material: compressed sun-dried mud. Design: inspired.
Mali, West Africa
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Tobi Kellner, Information Officer at CAT explains: “In general, natural materials will tend to have involved much less processing – which means less energy has been used and less pollution caused (for example, it takes a lot of energy to quarry clay and then fire bricks, compared to harvesting timber). Sustainable building materials will be from either an abundant (e.g. earth) or a renewable source (e.g. timber from well-managed woodland), compared to – for example – plastic foam insulation, made from our limited supplies of fossil oil. “Another factor to consider is what happens at the end of a building’s life – can the components be readily reclaimed? Many common materials (e.g. PVC windows) cannot be reused or even recycled. Construction waste produced per person in the UK is more than double collected household waste. Materials like timber, earth and straw are readily reclaimable for reuse, perhaps as building materials or renewable fuels.” |
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