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Concept
Cob (material)
Summary
Cob, cobb, or clom (in Wales) is a natural building material made from subsoil, water, fibrous organic material (typically straw), and sometimes lime. The contents of subsoil vary, and if it does not contain the right mixture, it can be modified with sand or clay. Cob is fireproof, resistant to seismic activity, and uses low-cost materials, although it is very labour intensive. It can be used to create artistic and sculptural forms, and its use has been revived in recent years by the natural building and sustainability movements.
In technical building and engineering documents, such as the Uniform Building Code of the western USA, cob may be referred to as "unburned clay masonry," when used in a structural context. It may also be referred to as "aggregate" in non-structural contexts, such as "clay and sand aggregate," or more simply "organic aggregate," such as where cob is a filler between post and beam construction.
Cob is an English term attested to around the year 1600 for an ancient building material that has been used for building since prehistoric times. The use of this material in Iran is more than 4000 years old. The etymology of cob and cobbing is unclear, but in several senses means to beat or strike, which is how cob material is applied to a wall.
Cob material is known by many names including adobe, lump clay, puddled clay, chalk mud, wychert, clay daubins, swish (Asante Twi), torchis (French), bauge (French), bousille (French mud with moss), and cat and clay.
Cob structures can be found in a variety of climates across the globe. European examples include:
in England, notably in the counties of Devon and Cornwall in the West Country, and in East Anglia (where it is referred to as clay lump)
in Wales, notably in rural Anglesey
in Donegal Bay in Ulster and in Munster, South-West Ireland
in Finisterre and Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany, where many homes have survived over 500 years and are still inhabited
Some of the oldest human-made structures in Afghanistan are composed of rammed earth and cob.
Official source
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