Cob, also known as clom in Wales, is an ancient building material consisting of clay, sand, straw, water and earth. It is fireproof, inexpensive and can be used to create artistic, sculptural forms and has been revived by several natural building and sustainability movements in recent years. The Eybers' residence was built with cob.
Ross has a practical, hands-on approach and showed attendees how to mix sand, clay and water on a 2 x 2 metre tarpaulin while trampling and mixing the material with his two bare feet, before adding straw to the mixture. "If you're squeamish about getting dirty you shouldn't even attempt trying this," he said.
"The straw acts as reinforcement," he said. "Just try to pull a few strands of straw apart with your bare hands – it's impossible."
"We've discovered that these cob building courses reach across racial and cultural divides," says Kathryn. "Everyone has creative abilities, regardless of your background, and for some reason people are quite happy to jump in and help the next person in a highly co-operative form of acti-vity. There's virtual team-building spirit amongst all attendees."
In Africa, Europe and Asia cob homes have survived for centuries. Some are more than 500 years old and are still inhabited. Some of the oldest man-made structures in Afghanistan are composed of rammed earth and cob and used in the Maghreb and al-Andalus in the 11th and 12th centuries, described in detail by Ibn Khaldun in the 14th century. One is not restricted to large structures such as houses – smaller structures such as pizza ovens or braai places can also be built from cob.
For more information about this ecofriendly construction method contact Ross or Kathryn at rossandkath@gmail.com or numbivalley@webs.com
The right-hand side of the Eybers' cob house is still under construction. Photos: Leon Nell
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