Four Methods of Building With Clay

Clay Building in Europe

• Germany, Hungary, Poland and other European nations boast of a long history of building houses with clay. The tradition goes back to the 12th century and numerous 12th century half-timbered houses or framed structures filled with straw and clay mixture still survive today. Clay building witnessed a decline later on, but the technique was revived once more in the post-World War II Reconstruction era when vigorous and prolific construction activity led to a paucity of building materials.

Leichtlehm - Light Straw Clay

• The literal meaning of Leichtlehm is "light loam" and refers to a German method of building structures with light straw clay. In this technique, clay slip is used to coat loose straw, which is then rammed into forms. This whole stuff is used as a kind of filler material to fill in structures made out of timber frames. The mixture of straw and clay acts as a thick infill inside a frame structure in the interior of a building. The exterior facade of a building makes use of a lighter wood frame which acts as an anchorage for walls built out of clay and straw mixture. The straw and clay mixture is usually made of a clay slurry and loose straw.

Cob for Green Homes

• Earth and various kinds of fibers, including straw, are used to build houses using an ancient technique known as cob, which is very similar to adobe. Like adobe, the same proportions of sand and clay are used in cob, but it is different from adobe in its use of greater quantities of long stalked straw fibers. Traditionally, the components are mixed in using bare feet and at times mechanized backhoes are utilized to minimize human effort. Cob constructions can often be highly artistic, free spirited and sculptural and cob houses are very charming to look at.

Adobe for Green Homes

• This is another ancient, eco-friendly mode of masonry construction that makes use of locally available materials such as clay and sand to manufacture bricks right on the site itself. Adobe walls are super solid, durable, sturdy, energy-efficient and radiate charm and beauty. Adobe homes are especially safe for geologically unstable regions.