<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Kyle, <div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">There are many other reinforcement regimes we would have loved to include. Alas, for this pass we had to eliminate many worthy contenders. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Here in So Cal, steel seems to very quickly get a film of rust in the fresh, wet cob…then not corrode much more in the 10 years or so we’ve been eyeballing it. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Straw/ bamboo doubtless would last longer, but would not get us anywhere near the 7500 lbs/ linear foot we’re shooting for. This is an <i class="">insanely </i>high level of resistance; it is likely that even with a double layer of 94,000 psi steel mesh anchored top and bottom in concrete that we’ll fall short of this (USGS says our area can have 2 g of lateral movement…speaking of insanely high).</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I suspect that bamboo is the optimum material for a purist who needed modest resistance. I think even modest resistance would require attention to bamboo joints in tension that is far beyond what I know how to build.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The straw-only wall is intended to test base isolation.base isolation could be a zero-concrete “purist” system that works even for high earthquake areas like ours, thanks to the load reduction of base isolation. (This is totally speculative, our two consulting engineers are skeptical.) More testing needed…but meanwhile this is what we were able to do in terms of moving the ball closer to the goal post.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Peace,</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Art</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><i class="">Pure monolithic cob on top of gravel, with one steel band around the base. Not suited for areas where “high boots” on walls are needed , but no boot structures have worked in this climate.</i></div><div class=""><img apple-inline="yes" id="84B03FC0-11DD-45EC-A0FF-1B5FDE3F6002" src="cid:9BD33B7B-E127-4EC9-8867-B0A27DD9B746" class=""><br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Dec 29, 2018, at 2:43 PM, Kyle Holzhueter <<a href="mailto:nihondaigaku.kairu@gmail.com" class="">nihondaigaku.kairu@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div dir="ltr" class="">Dear Art,<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Great work! </div><div class="">I'm curious why bamboo isn't included as a reinforcement method. I understand it's probably less predictable than steel, but I suspect it's also less susceptible to degrade in earthen walls. My understanding is that, in concrete walls, steel tends to corrode as the concrete neutralizes over time. In Japan, it's not uncommon to find completely corroded steel, like wires and nails, in earthen walls. It's also not uncommon to find pristine bamboo in 100 year old earthen walls.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Kyle<br clear="all" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class="">*************************************************<br class="">Kyle Holzhueter PhD<br class=""><span class="">First Degree Certified Plasterer</span></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><span class=""></span>Permaculture Center Kamimomi<br class="">Architectural and Regional Ecological Design Studio, <span class="">Nihon University</span><br class=""><br class="">カイル・ホルツヒューター 博士（生物資源科学）<br class=""><span class="">一級左官技能士</span></div><div dir="ltr" class=""><span class="">パーマカルチャーセンター上籾</span></div><div dir="ltr" class="">日本大学大学院 <span class="">建築・地域共生デザイン研究室</span><br class=""><br class="">Mobile: 080-3477-9841<br class=""><a href="http://holzhueter.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" class="">http://holzhueter.blogspot.com</a><br class=""><a href="http://japaneseplastering.blogspot.jp/" target="_blank" class="">https://www.facebook.com/PermacultureKamimomi/</a><br class="">*************************************************</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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