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GBlist: Re: StrawClay



Subject:     Re: StrawClay
Sent:        12/3/96 8:58 AM
To:          GreenBuilding List, greenbuilding@crest.org

Marc J. Rosenbaum wrote:

>I took one of Robert's workshops, and I would not describe him as obtuse.  He
>is very committed to what he teaches, an evangelist really.  I had some tough
>questions for him, being a nerd, about insulation values and quantities of
>materials and time involved.  He was willing to say, I don't know,
>occasionally, which always endears a person to me, and he was open-hearted
>about being challenged in front of a largely lay audience who would believe
>almost anything!  He was a capable teacher and certainly knew his stuff about
>his system.

Thanks for your comments;  since he is a well-regarded person, I am glad 
to know Robert LaPorte exhibits much better behavior than I experienced.  
I guess he had a bad day 2 years ago - maybe like I was having when I 
went out on a limb and described my negative experiences in a public 
forum. 

>There are many paths, as you have noted, and the answer I have for myself 
which
>i offer to you about the labor intensity of straw-clay and other similar
>systems is that if we built only what we needed (very small) then we would 
have
>time to hand-craft our dwellings out of more natural materials (and R value
>would be less important, if the wall area is very small).  I think this is
>behind the work of the cob folks out in Oregon.  So, not for everyone, but
>maybe for some.

Well said!  And besides the ecological aspects, there is the 
*satisfaction* factor - rather than supervising the building of a trophy 
house, I've always thought it would be really nice to handbuild a house 
out of rock, spending whatever time as it took.  Just the thought of 
carefully examining each and every rock sounds wonderfull to me.


Bill C also responded:

>It (strawclay) still sounds better to me than making adobe bricks or rammed 
earth.  But I
>haven't done the hands-on with them yet either.  

Actually, I was considering them both when I took that fabled workshop.  
One hour of gathering, shoveling, sifting, sorting, mixing, rolling, 
carrying, placing, and then beating on strawclay convinced me to use a 
Compressed Earth Block system.  I thought I wanted to do the cheapest 
system possible, but I instantly decided to spend some money instead 
(with clear feedback from my body).  

C.E.B. is sometimes just called Rammed Earth, and sometimes called Adobe, 
in order to avoid lengthy explanations and because they are very similar. 
 Quick clarification:

Adobe - Sun dried mud.  Famous, very common in SW, very historical.  
Blocks can be any size, but are commonly 10" x 14" x 3.5". and are 
stacked with a mud motar.  Nowadays are often made with 4 - 10% asphalt 
for stabilization (weather resistance).

Rammed Earth - Like it sounds:  compressing earth under pressure into a 
structural form.  Rammed Earth usually refers to a monolithic wall form, 
like a concrete pour, into which earth is tamped either by hand or with a 
hydraulic ram.  Earth used is barely damp, never wet (amoung other 
differences from adobe).

CEB - Great pressure is used to compress earth into blocks.  Thus, it 
like using Rammed Earth methods to create an Adobe block.  Many sizes, 
but 8" x 12" x 4" is most common.  Does not require motar joints.  
Another cool thing is you can (if the soil is right) excavate your 
foundation, and then use that same soil to build your walls!  (Quantities 
used can be the same).  Overseas (see below) people use lever-action 
presses, while in the states, people rent powerfull hydralic presses. 

Disadvantage is same as adobe:  unlike strawclay, there is minimal 
insulation.  Advantage:  my walls (including bond beam) were done in 12 
working days.
 
>>Shortly afterward I (Buzz)
>>went to India where I investigated various natural building methods in a 
>>country that prides itself on low-capital home-grown technologies.

>I'd (Bill) be interested in hearing what you felt were the most exportable 
building
>methods over there.  (I doubt many americans will want to build dung huts, 
>for instance).  It seemed to me that the majority of the buildings that I saw 
>were brick masonry with plaster (this was in the New Delhi area)

Quite right.  Brick and concrete is everywhere (as in about 90% of the 
world, wood is never a primary material).  

What I found was Compressed Earth Block being tested in all parts of the 
country.  I never heard mentioned strawbale or strawclay;  adobe is rare 
but still being used in some remote locations.  I found CEB machines made 
in France, California, and Australia in use, and now they manufacturing 
one specifically for village use in India.  

You may have heard of a company called Development Alternatives;  based 
in Delhi, it is the most advanced alt-tech organization I've ever 
encountered, the RMI of India if you will.  Additionally, the real 
international earth-building experts are the French;  CRATerre has built 
amazing projects all over the world (except in NA). 

CEB works great in India because it isn't all that cold, so insulation is 
less a requirement, and the comfort standards are broader.  They just 
render the walls with a wetter version of the same earth mix, and then 
either do a earth, concrete, or tile floor, and the same for the roof.  
Seeing a CEB roof is quite impressive;  reminded me how little I know 
about building. 

Take Care!

Buzz Burrell
Geneva Development Corporation
Boulder, CO

Buzz Burrell  *  buzz@diac.com  *  4439 Driftwood Pl, Boulder, CO 80301

Project Manager: Geneva Cohousing Community - 176 acres N of Lyons, CO 
Owner: Bolder Building - solar adobe house finished 7/96
                       - pumice-crete house began 2/97 
Co-founder: Colorado Friends of Tibet - hosting The Dalai Lama 5/97

*     *     *      *      *      *       *      *      *      *      *

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