| |
|
Story : Niramon Moonchinda
Photos : Bansit Bunyaratavej
|
|
 |
 |
The word cob, literally meaning "rounded lump or mass", is a traditional technique for building houses using no forms, no bricks and no wooden structures. It also refers to the material - a mixture of clay or earth, sand and straw - used in that technique. Cob housing is actually not a new concept, and people are certainly aware that cob and similar materials such as rammed earth and sun-dried mud bricks (adobe) were used to build human settlements in many early civilizations. Other forms of mud building, as it is commonly referred to, are also indigenous to the United States (Southwest), France, Iran, and parts of the Middle East and Africa. |
|
 |
|
Cob housing specifically, is believed to have first made its appearance in London, England, as early as 1212. By the 15th century, cob houses became the norm in many parts of England and remained so until the industrial revolution ushered in cheap transport, industrialization, and the popularity of brick. Soon after, cob housing was considered primitive and backward. It was close to becoming extinct, until very recently, as the latter half of the twentieth century witnessed a revived interest in cob. It seemed that people all around the world were looking for alternatives to lifelong debt, and they found in cob a cheaper, more enriching and environmentally-friendly alternative to expensive homes. In building with one's own hands and instincts a versatile shelter for one's physical being and a lovingly constructed home for one's heart, they found in cob a new experience altogether. |
|
 |
|
Cob housing has even made its way to Thailand. A native of Yasothorn Province built his very own cob house for a meager sum and has lived in it for the past four years. Janelle Kapour, an American, runs her own business and just recently ran a workshop here for cob building this past January. Who knows, should the trend catch on here, we may all end up richer, not only with respect to our bank accounts, but in our hearts and minds. |
|
