<html>
<head>
<style>
.hmmessage P
{
margin:0px;
padding:0px
}
body.hmmessage
{
font-size: 10pt;
font-family:Verdana
}
</style>
</head>
<body class='hmmessage'>
<font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">Hello Alex,</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"> yes I will try to give more detailed description _
but unfortunately no photos available from that beautifull old house,
at the time the walls were opened., my long stay in Lima ended more
than 25 years ago, though the memory is vivid. As attachment, there
are a few photos found on the web, that illustrate somehow the system,
an show comparison between reinforced and non-reinforced adobe walls.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"> The
old thick walls were about 70cm wide, and the bricks dismanteled by the
workers looked hairy, like the handmade type including fiber. The fiber
may have been straw, or drie local grass or fiber from plants ,lots of
very tough growing on hillside and semi desertic near Lima _sorry again
no botanical name to suggest.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"> There were 2 bricks end to end
across the wall,on cossing course; so each brick had a length of about
35 cm; the other dimensions I cant tell sure, perhaps like 20 and 10, .
</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"> The netting was central, showing vertical cane sticks about 50
cm distant, less for the horizontal sticks, like 20 or 22cm, probably
embracing one of every two courses of adobe bricks. As often , the
courses alterned parallel and transversal (crossing) layers of bricks.
the canes were not tied, but webed _like in our grannies baskets. </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">
I remember well staying a long time to observe the dismantling job,
and discussing with other, older people, who where commenting how
strong ang good this netting was to help the wall against the hazard of
collapsing after those earthquakes. A few weeks before, a strong shake
had damagesd several houses in the area we lived, so these discussions
ment something to everyone.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"> At that time I wasnt involved in
building, though feeling very concerned by earthquaques. I havn't had
the opportunity to copy or adapt this combination of adobe/webed canes
reinforcement, because my earth constructions werent really in
sismical high risk areas. </font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">A tip from my humble experience:</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">
_for added strength, the choice of the mud or clay used for the adobes
is very important, as they should not be able to "burst into dust" when
dropped, once fully dried. The mud must be sticky enough, and a
generous proportion of hcked straw or other fiber ("schaff") added when
mixing, is structurally very good. A good test is to drop the dry brick
from a meter hight. It should not break, or at least, give only 2
pieces.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">_think of a "crown beam" connecting from the top all 4 walls, and are the connection for roof or terrace beams.</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">All the best,</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3">Lorenzo</font><font style="font-size: 12pt;" size="3"><br></font><br>
<div class="ExternalClass" id="MsgContainer"><style>
.ExternalClass .EC_shape
{;}
</style>
<style>
.ExternalClass p.EC_MsoNormal, .ExternalClass li.EC_MsoNormal, .ExternalClass div.EC_MsoNormal
{margin-bottom:.0001pt;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:'Times New Roman';}
@page Section1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;}
.ExternalClass div.EC_Section1
{page:Section1;}
</style><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span><br><br><hr id="EC_stopSpelling">From: lotan-build@lotan.ardom.co.il<br>To: lorobles55@hotmail.com<br>CC: jc10508@windstream.net<br>Subject: RE: [GSBN] earthquake-proof adobe walls<br>Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:08:13 +0200<br><br>
<style>
.ExternalClass .EC_shape
{;}
</style>
<style>
.ExternalClass p.EC_MsoNormal, .ExternalClass li.EC_MsoNormal, .ExternalClass div.EC_MsoNormal
{margin-bottom:.0001pt;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:'Times New Roman';}
.ExternalClass a:link, .ExternalClass span.EC_MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;text-decoration:underline;}
.ExternalClass a:visited, .ExternalClass span.EC_MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:blue;text-decoration:underline;}
.ExternalClass p
{margin-right:0cm;margin-left:0cm;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:'Times New Roman';}
.ExternalClass span.EC_EmailStyle18
{font-family:Arial;color:navy;}
@page Section1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;}
.ExternalClass div.EC_Section1
{page:Section1;}
</style>
<div class="EC_EC_Section1">
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Dear Lorenzo,</span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">The detail of the fiber net is, in your
words, a critical element.</span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">Your explanation is not clear. You typed
(there may be some incorrect letters):</span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;">"</span></font><font size="2" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">The workers
had to take brick by brick, an saw each cane to release de digged trough
area. it took much more time than with simple adobe. "</span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Please expand your description. Also, would you be able to
send me, or post for all, some photographs of the net, a cross section of a wall
that show the interplay between the adobe brick and the netting. Also, what size
are the earth bricks, were they "hand" molded or compressed and do they
have fibers (straw or other) in them?</span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Thank you. This information is very important for our work,
also a seismically active area, with low cost housing for Bedouins in southern Israel
and Palestine.</span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;"> </span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana;">Alex </span></font><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"></span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: navy;"> </span></font></p>
<div>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="black" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Alex Cicelsky</span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="black" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Center for Creative Ecology</span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="1" color="black" face="Arial Narrow"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; color: black;">a non-profit
education institute supported by</span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="1" color="black" face="Arial Narrow"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; color: black;">Amuta Tzel
Hatamar, Israel tax exempt no. </span></font><span dir="rtl"></span><font size="1" color="black" face="Arial"><span dir="rtl" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="rtl"></span>580347029</span></font><span dir="ltr"></span><font size="1" color="black" face="Arial Narrow"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; color: black;" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="ltr"></span>
</span></font><font size="1" color="black" face="Arial Narrow"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; color: black;"></span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="1" color="black" face="Arial Narrow"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; color: black;">Friends of
Lotan, USA 501(c)(3), no. 17053031035036</span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="black" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Kibbutz Lotan</span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="black" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">D.N. Eilot 88855 Israel</span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="black" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Tel: +972-(0)54-979-9009</span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="black" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;">Websites: <a href="http://www.kibbutzlotan.com/" title="http://www.kibbutzlotan.com/" target="_blank"><font color="black"><span style="color: black;">www.kibbutzlotan.com</span></font></a></span></font></p>
<p class="EC_EC_MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="black" face="Arial"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"><a href="http://www.birdingisrael.com/" title="http://www.birdingisrael.com/" target="_blank"><font color="black"><span style="color: black;">www.birdingisrael.com</span></font></a></span></font></p></div></div></div>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=unicode">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft SafeHTML">
<style>
.hmmessage P
{margin:0px;padding:0px;}
body.hmmessage
{font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;}
</style>
<style>
.hmmessage P
{margin:0px;padding:0px;}
body.hmmessage
{font-size:10pt;font-family:Verdana;}
</style>
<br><br /><hr />Souhaitez vous « ętre au bureau sans y ętre » ? <a href='http://www.microsoft.com/france/windows/bts/default.mspx' target='_new'>Oui je le veux !</a></body>
</html>