[GSBN] Legalizing Structural Cob

Thu Apr 26 02:54:45 UTC 2018

Hi Mark and all,

As part of the Cob Research Institute (CRI) team I will soon lead the
writing of a proposed cob code (a new appendix) for the 2021 International
Residential Code. It will be based on, among other things, the collective
experience, testing and existing codes just described, and I will use my
experience co-authoring existing appendices in the IRC on strawbale, light
straw-clay and tiny houses. Not sure when this effort will begin in earnest,
probably June or July. The deadline for submittal to the International Code
Council (ICC) is early January 2019.

I¹m also not sure exactly how the effort will be organized/conducted, but I
and the other CRI members are interested in broad input, including from
everyone on this email string. Mark, I¹m very interested in your effort in
Portland. Without knowing your time frame, it strikes me that the CRI effort
and your Portland effort could be redundant. It might be best for them to
become one and the same (?).

I also want to say here that there are expenses associated with submitting
ICC code proposals. CRI has some funds for the cob code proposal, but more
will be needed. More on this another time.

I look forward to working those who wish to and are able to participate. The
achievements to date of everyone on this email string (and many others who
aren¹t) significantly contribute to moving this forward.

Best.

Martin Hammer

PS  I¹ve been in Nepal much of this year overseeing the construction of its
first straw bale (and straw-clay) building. Trying to complete it by end of
May, so I can¹t do much more on the cob code until then.

Martin Hammer, Architect
1348 Hopkins St
Berkeley, CA  94702
510-684-4488 (cell)

From:  Gsbn <gsbn-bounces at sustainablesources.com> on behalf of Mark Lakeman
<trout at communitecture.net>
Reply-To:  GSBN <GSBN at SustainableSources.com>
Date:  Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 5:16 PM
To:  GSBN <GSBN at SustainableSources.com>
Subject:  Re: [GSBN] Legalizing Structural Cob

Anthony, Massey, Misha, David, Graeme, and Art,

Wow, how exciting, thanks for such a swift reply and for this initial round
of documents and leads! I will dig into these and read all you've provided.
I'm sure I'll get back in touch with some of you as our team here begins to
move ahead on our proposal for structural cob. I will be working with
Bernhard Masterson, Tim Kennedy, and Joshua Klyber.

More soon, thanks !!
Mark Lakeman

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 <http://www.cityrepair.org>
c: 503.381.5885 | trout at communitecture.net <mailto:trout at communitecture.net>
<mailto:moontrout at cityrepair.org>

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On Tue, Apr 24, 2018 at 1:59 PM, Anthony Dente <dente.a at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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 <tel:%28510%29%20528-5394>  - 103
> www.verdantstructural.com <http://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 <http://www.cityrepair.org>
>> c: 503.381.5885 | trout at communitecture.net <mailto:trout at communitecture.net>
>> <mailto:moontrout at cityrepair.org>
>> 
>>  <http://communitecture.net/>
>>                 
>> <http://www.facebook.com/communitecture>
>> <http://twitter.com/communitecture>
>> <http://www.linkedin.com/company/communitecture-inc.-architecture---planning>
>> <http://plus.google.com/+communitectureARCHITECTUREPLANNINGDESIGNPortland/pos
>> ts>    <mailto: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 <http://www.baubiologie.at>
>>>> > www.strohnatur.at <http://www.strohnatur.at>  (Wir bauen Dein
>>>> Strohballenhaus)
>>>> > www.strawbale.training (STEP Lehrgang)
>>>> > www.smartcities.at <http://www.smartcities.at>  (FFG Projekt Make Your
>>>> City Smart)
>>>> > www.strawbuilding.eu <http://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 can¹t 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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> 
> 
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