[GSBN] Data base of approved natural building codes

Tue May 13 12:29:35 UTC 2014

Hi Paul 

Thank you so much for your info and leads, which I will definitely follow up on.

Indeed I would really appreciate any of the codes and the paper you spoke of that is at your disposal.

The meeting I had yesterday proved to be very fruitful and it seems that the powers that be would much rather we develop a whole set of new more all encompassing standards than try and import Rowland Keables rammed earth  standard, because apparently  it would always sit outside of our standards as the process of the Southern African Developing Countries harmonization of Standards – SADCSTAN – does not apparently conform with the ISO standard procedures, of which the South African Bureau of Standards is a member. So  and the standard does not fit into our SABS format and would not be circulated or made available as one of our actual SABS standards.

As such I would be interested in staying abreast with what the PIRATE project develops as well as what the other developing countries like India are busy developing would be of particular value. 

I must say that the amount of new work being done across the planet on natural building standards is particularly encouraging and should help further in our motivations to get similar standards going locally.

Many thanks

Andy Horn

ECO DESIGN ARCHITECTS & CONSULTANTS 

A. R. HORN B.A.S. (UCT), B. Arch. (UCT), Pr. Arch (SACAP), MIA, CIA

Telephone: 021 462 1614. Fax: 021 461 3198

1st Floor, 79 on Roeland, 79 Roeland Street, CAPE TOWN, 8001

 <mailto:andy at ecodesignarchitects.co.za> andy at ecodesignarchitects.co.za   <http://www.ecodesignarchitects.co.za/> www.ecodesignarchitects.co.za 

From: GSBN-bounces at sustainablesources.com [mailto:GSBN-bounces at sustainablesources.com] On Behalf Of Paul Jaquin
Sent: 12 May 2014 10:43 PM
To: Global Straw Building Network
Subject: Re: [GSBN] Data base of approved natural building codes

Hi Bruce, Andy,

Bruce - I would love a copy of the paper you mention. 

Andy - I know that Tara Sharma (tarasharma69 at gmail.com) of the ICOMOS ISCEAH committee is doing a similar thing in India, and is looking to get hold of all the earth building codes she can. I know that she has got the following:

Morocco,Spain, Germany, India, New Mexico and New Zealand. In addition there is 'Peter Walker's Rammed earth:design and construction guidelines' which is pretty much the standard in the UK.  There might be more who have emailed Tara direct.

I know the Southern African standard which Rowland Keable is trying to get adopted is more of a how to build standard, and I know that a similar, but probably more advanced set of training standards are being developed across Europe by the PIRATE project (http://pirate.greenbuildingtraining.eu/public/) This project and the resulting materials should be published late this year.

In terms of design, I'm working on a paper for the Structural engineer journal, which puts rammed earth design into Eurocode framework, so that should allow design through that method.

I hope that helps, let me know if you want any of the code and I'll send them direct.

Thanks

Paul

On 12 May 2014 00:49, Bruce EBNet <bruce at ecobuildnetwork.org> wrote:

Today I found & sent to Andy Horn the paper I did six years ago reviewing all the earthen codes and standards -- a preparatory phase for then rewriting the ASTM standard.

I anyone else wants a copy, just give me a holler.

Thanks,

Bruce King

www.ecobuildnetwork.org

(415) 987-7271
Skype: brucekingokok
Twitter: @brucekinggreen 
http://bruce-king.com/

On May 11, 2014, at 3:12 PM, Graeme North <graeme at ecodesign.co.nz> wrote:

Hi Martin

would you mind sending me the light straw clay codes -guidelines too please?

thanks 

Graeme 

On 12/05/2014, at 2:22 AM, martin hammer <mfhammer at pacbell.net> wrote:

Hi Andy,

In a separate e-mail I will send you the following:

*	Strawbale Construction appendix, as approved for the 2015 International Residential Code 
*	Light Straw-Clay appendix, as approved for the 2015 International Residential Code 
*	Adobe section of the 2012 International Building Code (Section 2109.3) 
*	Appendix Chapter 71- Earthen Material Structures – Tucson / Pima County, Arizona 
*	Clay Straw Guidelines – State of New Mexico 
*	Light Straw Clay Code – State of Oregon 
*	Light Straw Clay Code – City of Porland, Oregon

I think you have ASTM E2392 / E2392M – Standard Guide for Design of Earthen Wall Building Systems (that David Eisenberg initiated around 2001, and Bruce King lead the revision of in 2010)

I also have 12 US Straw Bale codes (State, County or City), the Belarus SB Code, the New Zealand SB BRANZ Bulletin, the Denmark Halmhuse document (mostly in Danish) which I understand is a de facto code

I also have a few codes or code related documents on bamboo.

As far as I know, most if not all of the above codes or official guidelines are in effect (or in the case of the first three are, or will soon be, in the “International” model codes)

So I will e-mail you the bullet point items, and if requested I can do the same for any other item I mentioned (except possibly the ASTM Standard which strictly speaking is not transferable).

If anyone else is interested in any of the above, please let me know.

Note that today is Mother’s Day (at least in the US) (Happy Mother’s Day everyone!) and Bruce may have a full day planned with his lovely wife Sarah, which could affect his ability to respond before your meeting tomorrow.  I have a full day planned for my lovely wife, . . . but she’s not awake yet (!).

Best of luck with your meeting.

Martin (is it Code in here, or is it me?) Hammer

On 5/11/14 6:07 AM, "Andy Horn" <andy at ecodesignarchitects.co.za> wrote:

Dear Bruce
Sorry to push you, but please will you send that survey of earthen building standards and codes that you said you did about 6 years ago.

I am busy agitating the powers that be – and meet with a group of stakeholders tomorrow including our Standards Bureau - and so really need as much info as I can get my hands on.

Thanks Graeme for your update about the New Zealand codes and their technical committee. 

Any other inputs are most welcome.

Kind regards,
Andy Horn

<image.gif>

From: GSBN-bounces at sustainablesources.com [mailto:GSBN-bounces at sustainablesources.com] On Behalf Of Bruce EBNet
Sent: 12 March 2014 11:17 PM
To: Global Straw Building Network
Subject: Re: [GSBN] Data base of approved natural building codes

 I did a complete survey and review, about 6 years ago, of earthen building standards and codes around the world.  Be glad to share it, but am super-swamped for the next week and It will take a bit of digging to find.  Since then, I know of several efforts to develop cob standards, not to mention Martin Hammer et al recently bringing straw bale into the International Building Code.

More soon,

Thanks,

Bruce King, PE

<image.png> <http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/buildwell-2014> 

<http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/buildwell-2014> 

 <http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/buildwell-2014> 
March 19 -- 22, 2014, Sausalito, CA
www.ecobuildnetwork.org <http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/>  <http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org <http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/> > 
(415) 987-7271
Skype: brucekingokok
Twitter: @brucekinggreen 
http://bruce-king.com/

On Mar 12, 2014, at 2:10 PM, Graeme North <graeme at ecodesign.co.nz> wrote:

On 13/03/2014, at 2:15 AM, Andy Horn <andy at ecodesignarchitects.co.za> wrote:

Hi all

While this is not specifically about straw bale building, my question ultimately will relate back to getting a straw bale code along with other natural building codes established for the Southern part of Africa.

I am trying to motivate our South African standards body to look at standards for earthen buildings at the moment, of which incredibly despite numerous earthen buildings (mostly informal or traditional), we don’t have any. As one might guess amongst other reasons the cement, steel and brick industries are still very much in control in this country.

South Africa is part of a process amongst SADC - The Southern Africa Development Countries - to harmonize its various standards between its  trading partners.

Zimbabwe have a rammed earth building code and this standard, after much effort, last April has been adopted though this “SADCSTAN” process for all member states. This was after 8 out of the 10 voting countries voted in favour of adopting the standard. So we now have an official standard (SADCSTAN/TC1 SC5-001 SAZ724 Standard Code of Practice for Rammed Earth Structures ) for the SADC region that is meant to be published in each member state by each of its various standards bodies.  

Unfortunately despite heavy lobbying by interested people, our standards board – SABS – representing South Africa did not vote in favour of the code and are now refusing to publish the standard locally. As such I have started a process to try and get them to rethink their position.

As part of the detailed motivation form that I have to fill out as the official route to get them to look at adopting a standard, I am being asked:

QUESTION 1: What other (earth) building codes, regional or national or international – that include rammed earth – besides our Zimbabwe rammed earth building code are there?

So far I know of:

- the New Zealand Earth building codes (NZS4297-1998, NZS4298-1998, & NZS4299-1998,  )

- the USA Tucson Pima County earth building code  (1997 Uniform Administrative Code Amendment for Earthen Material and Straw Bale Structures)

 Tucson/Pima County, Arizona "APPENDIX CHAPTER 71 - EARTHEN MATERIAL STRUCTURES”)

- the German earth building codes: National Material Code for Prefabricated Earth Products DIN 18945 till -47 (blocks, masonry mortar, plaster)

(I still need to investigate and contact Craterre-EAG in this regard and perhaps UNESCO)

QUESTION 2: What international or foreign national technical committee’s working in this field are there?

Earth Building Standards 

Standards New Zealand Committee BD/083 is currently revising the three earth buildings standards. (Engineering, Materials and Workmanship, and Deemed to Comply)

Currently they cover mud brick, pressed earth brick, and rammed earth with a nod to poured earth, cob, earth plasters and earth floors. 

They will now fully cover mud brick/adobe, cob, rammed earth, pressed earth brick, poured earth, internal earth brick veneers, earth floors and earth plasters.

The range of densities of earthen materials they will now include will be between 800 and 2000 kg/cub.m, with walls between 280 and 500mm thick

Getting our SABS to adopt the rammed earth code would be a major foot in the door for us to get our corporate minded authorities to re-consider earth and other natural materials as a viable and sustainable way to build.  

However, this would I believe just be the start of a drive to push for codes for all natural building and appropriate technology type codes... including the ICC’s straw bale and light straw clay standard of course as well as others like cob, adobe, wattle and daub, earth bag, sandbag, urbanite, stone, bamboo, bottle walls, cordwood, earthen plasters etc. So....

QUESTION 3: In addition to codes on rammed earth, I would be interested in knowing about any other natural building codes that may exist.....so please send any links or info you know of that you think will be of help.

Perhaps to stream line things in your responses you can add a prefix:

1 - Earth building codes

2 - Natural building Technical code committees  

3 - Other natural building code

I am looking forward to your many - I hope - inputs and once I have compiled as complete a list as possible, I will email it back for everyone.

Many thanks

Andy Horn

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Paul Jaquin

Chairman Earth Building UK

www.historicrammedearth.com

www.ebuk.uk.com

@pauljaquin 

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