COB - NATURAL MATERIALS - BUILDING MATERIALS

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Cob

Cob building uses a mixture of clay and sand to create the walls of a building. This technique has been used extensively in the UK since before the 13th century. However modern materials and rapid industrialisation of the nation's cities during the late 19th and early 20th century led to many cob buildings being knocked down and replaced.

See also Cob building >

And Craft & traditional building materials index >

Cob is arguably the simplest and cheapest form of building construction with low cost raw materials, however it is very labour intensive requiring a lot of man hours compared to its rivals. It is heavily used in many developing countries by the poor.

Cob buildings are ideally suited to climates that do not have harsh winters and receive regular sun exposure.