[GSBN] Legalizing Structural Cob

Tue Apr 24 20:59:29 UTC 2018

Hi Mark, We engineered a permitted cob structure in Berkeley, CA which is
just now completing construction with designer Massey Burke who is also on
this list.  We learned a lot of the hurdles of permitting cob in the US and
it is proving to be a strong precedent, as was the intent of the project.
We are in plan check for our 2nd cob permit in Shasta County.  I'm also the Cob
Research Institute's <https://www.cobcode.org/> project manager for full
scale in-plane reverse cyclic wall testing for lateral loading on cob wall
systems at Santa Clara University in California, which just completed
testing in early April.  I'm happy to share any info on any of these
projects and we're licensed in Oregon if your in need of a structural
engineer.

You are correct that the New Zealand codes are very helpful for earthen
construction here in the US.  They are a seismically active English
speaking country full of nice folks from what I've experienced.  I've
heard, likely from this list, that they are in a long process of updating
that code, which it over a decade old.  Perhaps one of the members on that
team would like to give us an update.

The proper route for permitting cob as a structural matrix in the US starts
with the Alternative Materials and Methods which would cite "ASTM E2392-10
Earthen Wall Building Systems" (thank you Bruce Kind and David Eisenberg)
which recommends/authenticates the use of the New Zealand Standards.

Beyond that there have been a number of small scale test reports written
here in the US, such as "2011 Pullen, Scholz - University Of Oregon - Index
And Engineering Properties of Oregon Cob", Warren Buck's research at the
University of Washington, and the soon to be completed Santa Clara
University test I mentioned above that would be very helpful to cite along
side your analysis.

I'm happy to share any of the documents I've mentioned or alluded to above
or help in any way.

Best of luck,
Anthony

*Anthony Dente, PE *
Principal

Verdant Structural Engineers
(formerly KDSE)
1101 8th Street #180
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 528-5394* - 103*
www.verdantstructural.com

On Tue, Apr 24, 2018 at 1:12 PM, Mark Lakeman <trout at communitecture.net>
wrote:

> Hi GSBN,
>
> This is Mark Lakeman, a member of both City Repair and communitecture in
> Portland. We are taking a run at submitting a structural cob proposal to
> Portland's Alternative Technology Approval Committee, and finally getting
> this done and into the code. Does anyone in the GSBN have some leads for us
> that would help with this project?
>
> I've been told that New Zealand may have some good material for us to
> start with. Any other ideas beyond that?
>
> Thanks all,
> Mark
>
>
>
> Mark Lakeman, Principal & Design Lead                                  Mark
> Lakeman, Co-Founder
> 1421 SE Division St | Portland, OR 97202 | t: 503.230.1293
> c: 503.381.5885 |  www.cityrepair.org
> c: 503.381.5885 | trout at communitecture.net <moontrout at cityrepair.org>
>
> <http://communitecture.net/>
>
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>    <trout at communitecture.net>             *City Repair*
>
> <http://www.communitecture.net/>
>
> On Fri, Apr 20, 2018 at 2:02 PM, Rene Dalmeijer <rdalmeij at mac.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>
>> Rene Dalmeijer Proces Advies
>> Thomas Hoodstraat 2
>> 1086 WE Amsterdam
>>
>> 06 48955419
>>
>> KvK 34243755
>> BTW NL057444146B01
>> NL18ASNB0932817343
>> new email rdalmeij at mac.com
>>
>> IBAN NL09INGB0004388720
>> BIC INGBNL2A
>>
>> > On Mar24, 2018, at 15:09, asbn at baubiologie.at wrote:
>> >
>> > Dear Rikki
>> >
>> > A quite extensive database of tests and research is on ESBA-site (at
>> least with English summaries):
>> > http://www.strawbuilding.eu/category/parent/research/
>> >
>> > And a summary of firetests is there http://esbg2015.eu/straw-bale-
>> firetests/
>> >
>> > Liebe Grüße / kind regards
>> > Herbert Gruber
>> > asbn – austrian straw bale network
>> > www.baubiologie.at
>> > www.strohnatur.at (Wir bauen Dein Strohballenhaus)
>> > www.strawbale.training (STEP Lehrgang)
>> > www.smartcities.at (FFG Projekt Make Your City Smart)
>> > www.strawbuilding.eu (ESBA – European Straw Building Association)
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
>> > Von: Gsbn [mailto:gsbn-bounces at sustainablesources.com] Im Auftrag von
>> Rikki Nitzkin
>> > Gesendet: Dienstag, 20. März 2018 11:00
>> > An: Global Straw Building Network
>> > Betreff: [GSBN] Web with test results
>> >
>> > Hi.
>> >
>> > I seem to remember that someone had compiled an (almost) comprehensive
>> list of SB lab tests... but I can’t remember where.
>> >
>> > Can someone send me the link to the web?
>> >
>> > thanks. Rikki
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > Gsbn mailing list
>> > Gsbn at sustainablesources.com
>> > http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/gsbn
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>
>
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