Study visit in Cornwall
(EN)
From 18 to 22 March 2014
Building with Ancient Materials
Context
Libnam European Project
Low Impact Building With Natural Materials
5 partners : 2 EN (CSBT, PETROC) and 3 FR
(Constructys, Pays de Fougères – mission Ecobatys,
Etudes et Chantiers)
Duration : from January 1. 2012 to March 31 2015
Lead partner : Etudes Et Chantiers
Actions : 6 Franco-British study visits, 20 demonstration
actions including 6 Franco-British ones, 6 teaching data
sheets, a booklet showcasing 20 technical case studies
(10 FR and 10 EN) of building projects …
The trip/the itinerary
Pentiddy
Woodland Farm
Maison de Matt
Maison en paille
Arrivée et départ
Maison terre isolation
extérieure
The participants
Isabelle and Robert Junalik
Translater and earth craftsmason in
Côtes d’Armor
Michel, Yannick and Sylvie
Employees and coordinator at études
ET Chantiers Rostrenen
Servane
Civic Service
Constructys Bretagne
Sébastien, Typhaine
Employee and project manager at
études ET chantiers Rostrenen
Nicolas, Constructys Bretagne
Our hosts
Stewart Bradley
President of
CSBT
Managing
Director CSBT
Matt Robinson
Architect and trainer
Member of CSBT
Dudley
Member of CSBT
Chris
Woodland farm
The people who welcomed us in their
homes
Grant
Cob house insulated from the
outside with natural materials
Matt Robinson
Cob house
Anthony and Ele Waters
Pentiddy
The owner
House made of straw, lime and
hemp
Departure, ferry crossing, arrival
The visits
A traditional cob house
Matt’s house
Different cob implementing
techniques
Implementing cob: plinth, cob lifts and
thatched roof.
Garden wall in cob
Slates sealed with lime mortar
The visits
Straw House
Solar gain through windows
Floor heating
Slate slab
Sliding window
Roof overhang
Larch cladding
Timber frame
Insulation with straw
Lime and sand plasters
The visits
Cob house completely rebuilt
Lime
and
sand
renders
Ruined cob house
External hemp insulation
Window ZOOM ING
Clay plaster
The visits
Self built wooden house
Stilt house with timber
frame and filled with
straw
Larch full cruck frame
Clay plasters
Whitewash finish
Clay plasters
How to use and implement clay?
1. Discovering the material
Grain size analysing: sieving,
Translating technical words Loose soil taken on site
Earth plasticity tests
Earth, sand and water ratio to
measure the cohesion of the material
How to use and implement clay?
2. Preparing the materialsSieving the earth
Unpacking
the straw
Mixing earth, sand and water
Treading the mix with straw
How to use and implement clay?
3. Building a bread oven
Creating the mould with
sand
Building the plinth
First layer of clay and
sandLaying cob balls
How to use and implement clay?
3. Making cob blocks
« Butter » the mould
Creating the form– bricks mould
Making cob clods – little
water
Unmoulding
Lumping the clods in the mould
How to use and implement clay?
4. Building a cob wall: the lifts
Making a plinth
Cutting the cob mix with the fork
Lumping the cob clods
Laying cob clods gradually from outside to inside, starting
with the angles
Laying staggered clods
Slideshow performed by: Michel Giachino, Sylvie Grèze, Yannick Lenglez, Typhaine Lesselingue
Association études ET chantiers Bretagne – Rostrenen team - April 2014
We warmly thank our hosts: Matt Robinson, Paul Bright, Chris from Woodland Farm,
and all those who welcomed us into their homes
Photo credit: études ET chantiers and Servane Guihaire