[GSBN] Legalizing Structural Cob

Anthony Dente dente.a at gmail.com
Thu Apr 26 14:49:57 UTC 2018 

Hi Mark, I realized now that when I quickly read your email, I inaccurately
thought you were submitting a cob building to receive a permit.  I would
like to echo Marty's comments that we at the Cob Research Institute are and
have been working toward the codification effort of this material for some
time through finding/acquiring as many existing reports studies and papers
on code related topics that we could across the globe from many different
organizations, as well as testing of which I mentioned some above.  I'm
happy to hear you and your team are motivated in the pursuit as well.  It
would likely be beneficial to join forces if you are interested.  I'd be
happy to share the required code topics that we believe are particularly
under studied as well as, well, anything and everything.

Be in touch.
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 Wed, Apr 25, 2018 at 7:54 PM, Martin Hammer <mfhammer at pacbell.net> wrote:

> 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.
>
> I’m 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, I’m 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 aren’t) significantly contribute to moving this forward.
>
> Best.
>
> Martin Hammer
>
> PS – I’ve 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 can’t 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
> c: 503.381.5885 | trout at communitecture.net <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/posts>
>    <trout at communitecture.net>             *City Repair*
>
> <http://www.communitecture.net/>
>
> 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* - 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/>
>>>
>>> <http://www.facebook.com/communitecture>
>>> <http://twitter.com/communitecture>
>>> <http://www.linkedin.com/company/communitecture-inc.-architecture---planning>
>>>
>>> <http://plus.google.com/+communitectureARCHITECTUREPLANNINGDESIGNPortland/posts>
>>>    <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
>>>> >
>>>> > _______________________________________________
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>>>> > Gsbn at sustainablesources.com
>>>> > http://sustainablesources.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/gsbn
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
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