The Beautiful Cob Forum

At www.permies.com there is a “beautiful cob” forum where people are encouraged to post pretty cob pictures. Not only are there some really beautiful photos, but also a number of videos about cob. This is a fun forum to browse, and I’ll post a few of the pictures to whet your appetite.  

Chinese Village for Both the Elderly and Children

Xialapu Village is responding to the Chinese national poverty alleviation and relocation policy. The pattern of the new village has changed from random growth to a deliberately planned fan-shaped belt layout. The local government wanted to build an amalgamated dwelling to improve and solve the housing needs of the lonely elderly people in the village. … Read more

Alternative Building to Address Homelessness

The four houses shown above are completely different in size and style, but they are all environmentally friendly, cheap, and fast to construct because they are made with earthbags. The four earthbag dwellings above are, clockwise from top left, in Veracruz, Mexico, Capetown, South Africa, Ahwaz, Iran and Durban, South Africa. Many countries with urgent … Read more

Straw Bales for Shelter

Straw Bales for Shelter: a guide for building emergency shelters with bales is available for download now.  This new guide is free to download and share courtesy of Matts Myhrman, David Eisenberg and Robert Cook. It offers clear explanations and excellent details for straw bale shelter construction. Table of ContentsIntroduction 3Site preparation and moisture barrier … Read more