[GSBN] Colombage in Portugal

Thu May 9 13:14:04 UTC 2013

Jorge  Thanks for the explanation.  Sounds like you have it very well
thought out and tailored to suit different regional conditions of climate
and material availability.  Great work. -  Martin

On 5/8/13 11:39 PM, "Van Krieken" <vankrieken at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks, Martin. We use a specific structural design software for wood framing
> houses called sema-soft (www.sema-soft.de <http://www.sema-soft.de>  ) that
> also makes great 3D illustrations. 
> In the exteriior walls we use several solutions, depending on the region
> materials, but also in the summer climate (warmer regions need more thermal
> mass). Straw-clay, or pisé coulé (1/3 clay and 2/3 gravel-stones...this is an
> excelent combination for thermal mass), or sand & lime, or unfired clay
> bricks, or clay/granulated cork...
> Those who live in warm regions (38º C to 45º C in Summer!!) knows how
> important thermal mass is. And if well insulated, this same thermal mass is a
> valuable heat stock on winter. The main issue is how to dissipate the heat on
> Summer. A good solution (a part from the shadow and ventilation solutions) its
> to put water tubes on the clay walls (not less then 19ºC because of
> condensations, and 30-35 º C water on the winter).
> Aglomerated expanded cork its an amazing and unique material and we (Portugal)
> are the first world producers (actually, do you know that it was discovered in
> New York by a life jackets producer and merchand called John Smith?). 
> We use the OSB not only as structural reasons, but also to easly attach the
> cork. With strawbales outside, we then use diagonals, not OSB.
> 
> All the best
> 
> Jorge
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, May 9, 2013 at 6:13 AM, martin hammer <mfhammer at pacbell.net> wrote:
>> Great 3D illustration Jorge.  You might be right that you could use diagonal
>> framing instead of the OSB.  Depends on the level of seismic risk.  I like
>> the exterior cork insulation.  My only other thought is that for the building
>> you show (with that type of wall framing), in a heating climate, I would use
>> straw-clay infill between framing on exterior walls instead of stone or
>> masonry.  It¹s much better as insulation.  Probably enough to eliminate the
>> layer of cork.  Can you see an advantage to using stone or masonry infill for
>> the exterior walls, as compared to straw-clay?
>> 
>> Martin
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On 5/8/13 2:42 PM, "Van Krieken" <vankrieken at gmail.com
>> <http://vankrieken@gmail.com> > wrote:
>> 
>>> Thank you Martin, for this valuable information. I  am very much focus on
>>> this colombage & Insulation building methods, for several reasons, like
>>> price, building speed and architectural art potential.
>>> 
>>> Mainly, I am interested on self sustainable projects for rural areas, where
>>> a house can be made in 2 or 3 weeks, at a cost bettwen 20 and 30.000 euros. 
>>> And -- very important -- easy to expand, acording to the needs and
>>> possibilities of the familly. Just like "before"...
>>> 
>>> Pick any beautiful designs like Gingerbread Houses, with the colombage
>>> system, and just apply the ETICS (External Thermal  Insulation Composite
>>> Systems), like cork, fibre wood (or, why not, strawbale)... and I believe we
>>> have the right solution for fast and confortable building.
>>> 
>>> I attach one of our small projects for a farmhouse (36m2), with 1 and 1/2
>>> floor (mezanine, 36 m2 more) that I am doing at the moment. On the walls we
>>> use a kind of colombage, but OSB on the outside (I wonder if we should just
>>> use the diagonal framing instead of OSB!...), then cork (10 to 20 cm), then
>>> lime render. Inside, we use lime or clay, depending on the regions.
>>> 
>>> Thank you for the report on Haiti and for sharing this information.
>>> 
>>> All the best
>>> 
>>> Jorge Van Krieken
>>> Portugal
>>> 
>>> On Wed, May 8, 2013 at 9:00 PM, martin hammer <mfhammer at pacbell.net
>>> <http://mfhammer@pacbell.net> > wrote:
>>>> Hello Jorge,
>>>> 
>>>> You beat me to it.  I¹m a co-author of the report/book on the ³Gingerbread
>>>> Houses² in Haiti.  Part of a small team sent by the World Monuments Fund to
>>>> investigate these remarkable Victorian-era houses 3 months after the
>>>> earthquake (see attached photos of a few, the second visibly distorted from
>>>> the earthquake).  Some of these buildings are extraordinary works of
>>>> architecture, and an important part of Haiti¹s cultural heritage.
>>>>  Unfortunately many are in peril of disappearing.
>>>> 
>>>> The book is also published French.  This link gives access to free download
>>>> in English and French:
>>>> 
>>>> http://www.conservationtech.com/PROJECTS/2010HAITI/haiti(1)book.html
>>>> 
>>>> Three methods of construction were used  masonry bearing wall, colombage
>>>> (braced wood frame with masonry infill), or braced wood frame with wood
>>>> siding.  Sometimes more than one method in a single building.  
>>>> 
>>>> Most used the colombage method, and we routinely saw them standing (though
>>>> some with damage) next to a collapsed reinforced concrete and concrete
>>>> block building (see 4th photo).  Even though the Gingerbread houses (the
>>>> name used by Haitians) are 85-120 years old (and the concrete buildings
>>>> only 10-40 years), and often with deteriorated wood framing from rot or
>>>> termites. (Note: If I¹m reincarnated as a termite I will request deployment
>>>> in the termite paradise of Haiti).  Lots of reasons for that, but it
>>>> demonstrated the resilience of this wood reinforced masonry wall system.
>>>>  (However, Jorge, your statement that they were the only ones that did not
>>>> fall down is greatly overstated.)
>>>> 
>>>> There are many cousins of the colombage system, including what Jorge
>>>> mentioned in Portugal (gaiola).  There is also dhajji dewari and bhatar in
>>>> Paksitan, taq in Kashmir, and others by various names in Turkey and Spain,
>>>> and the many half-timber systems in Europe (fachwerk in Germany, etc).  An
>>>> excellent book on the buildings in Pakistan and Kashmir (³Don¹t Tear It
>>>> Down!²) was written by our Haiti team lead and can be seen at:
>>>>  http://www.traditional-is-modern.net/
>>>> 
>>>> Also lots of related info at:  http://www.conservationtech.com/
>>>> 
>>>> Although none of this is strawbale, I see it all as vernacular ³natural²
>>>> building (using wood, rock, fired and un-fired brick, lime or earthen
>>>> mortars and plasters) (see last photo), as well as high architectural and
>>>> building system art.  I hope others see it as relevant.  I do think modern
>>>> applications are not only possible, but are being done.  I noticed interior
>>>> walls with a form of colombage in a strawbale building in one of the links
>>>> David Eisenberg just posted.  Jorge identified the poor insulation
>>>> shortcoming, but there are ways to address this (and is not an issue for
>>>> interior walls or in a tropical climate like Haiti¹s).
>>>> 
>>>> Martin
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On 5/8/13 10:17 AM, "Van Krieken" <vankrieken at gmail.com
>>>> <http://vankrieken@gmail.com>  <http://vankrieken@gmail.com> > wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> Concerning my last post, there is a very interesting paper about the
>>>>> colombage building in Haiti:
>>>>> 
>>>>> http://www.wmf.org/sites/default/files/wmf_publication/WMF%20Haiti%20Missi
>>>>> on%20Report.pdf
>>>>> 
>>>>> Best
>>>>> 
>>>>> JVK
>>>>> Portugal
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Wed, May 8, 2013 at 3:32 PM, Van Krieken <vankrieken at gmail.com
>>>>> <http://vankrieken@gmail.com>  <http://vankrieken@gmail.com> > wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>>> We put a 12 cm clay bricks  wall on the interior side of the strawbale
>>>>>> walls, filling the timber framing. 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> We also leave a 2-3 cm space between the strawbale (also rendered with
>>>>>> clay) and these adobe bricks. If any condensation is to occur, looked to
>>>>>> me that's the way to avoid complications. Also, no chimenea effect, as
>>>>>> there is nothing there to burn.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> We have temperatures of 43º C in Summer and -5ºC in Winter, and the
>>>>>> inside temperature of this house need very little heat on Winter (depends
>>>>>> more on the sun direction) and no refrigeration al all on Summer.
>>>>>> Ofcourse, we need good shading on Summer.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> At this moment, we are building several houses with his method, using 10
>>>>>> and 20 cm aglomerated cork painels instead of strawbale, rendered with
>>>>>> lime mixed with aglomerated cork granulate.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> You may see the strawbale/colombage building method we use at
>>>>>> http://strawhouses.carbonmade.com
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> The colombage method was very popular in Europe and was known by the
>>>>>> Romans as the opus craticium technique.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> In recent Haiti earthquake disasters, it seams that these colombage
>>>>>> houses -- (the technique was taken to Haiti by young haitian architects
>>>>>> graduated in Paris in the early XX century) -- were the only ones that
>>>>>> did not failed down. 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> In Portugal, we still have many houses like this with more then 400
>>>>>> years, and still in good conditions.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> However, they did not had a good insulation, so when you add a good
>>>>>> insulation from the outside (strawbale its also good), the result is
>>>>>>  amazing. 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> And simple.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> All the best
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Jorge Van krieken
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
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