Cob lends itself to organic shapes.The word "cob" comes from an old English root meaning "a lump or rounded mass".
Cob builders use their hands and feet to form lumps of earth mixed with clay, straw and sand. It is a sensory and aesthetic experience similar to sculpting with clay. Cob is very easy to learn and inexpensive to build.
Because there are no forms, ramming, cement or rectilinear bricks, cob lends itself to organic shapes: curved walls, arches and vaults. Earthen houses are cool in summer and warm in winter.
Cob has been used for millennia, even in the harsh climates of southern England, where thousands of comfortable and picturesque homes have been continuously occupied for many centuries. In fact, earth homes, built in this free form manner, have existed around the world for thousands of years.
Welshman Ianto Evans and American Linda Smiley, of “Oregon Cob” fame, brought Cob to Australia in 1995, teaching a workshop in Caboolture. Linda McKee and Mal McKenna continued teaching Cob until 2000. Since then, Mal and his builder friend, Michael Leo, have succeeded in getting Council approval for a Cob building, which will be built in the near future. In the meantime, Alan Atkinson of Eco Homes and Gardens has formed a new partnership with Mal, who lives at Bellbunya Eco Conference Centre, to bring Cob building into the mainstream of new green housing approaches, beginning with an exciting series of Cob building workshops at Bellbunya.
Because earth is non-toxic and completely recyclable, many people searching for a more eco-friendly lifestyle are bound to embrace this living, breathing choice of home. Further, Cob is ideal for owner-builders, who can have friends help out with this easily learned form. The cob lump goes straight from the mixing spot to the wall, where it is knitted in using feet, hands and blunt sticks to form one mass — a hand sculpted home. The lumps are made to your size, making it easy for children to be involved. It is a very safe work site; there are no power tools, as we encourage the use of hand tools and as little timber as possible. ??Zenning in tranquility, laughter and fun is the sustainable standard we seek, and the occasional ‘Aha’, as another cobber ‘gets it’ — that feeling of cob in action.
No, Cob is not a fast process: it can be made timeless, though, when we get that right mix of soul and mind. You might as well take your time slowly building your home which, if tended to lovingly over the years, will stand proudly for years to come.
An introductory Cob Building Seminar will be held on the 26th May at 7pm and the first Cob Building Workshop from July 26th-31st at Bellbunya Eco-Conference Centre, 114 Browns Road, Belli Park, near Eumundi.
Contact Mal on 07 5447 0181 or Alan on 0402494252.
Image Credit: www.cobprojects.info
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Hi,
My partner and I are researching cob building. We are located in Bundaberg and am interested in meeting or chatting to others in Queensland that have built cob homes. I see that there was previously a seminar on the sunshine coast. Are there any of these happening? or do you know anyone I could get in contact with for more information. I have fallen in love with cob homes and would love to be able to put our creativness and passion into creating out own home.
Thanks