Appropriate Plasters For Cob & Stone Walls

Author(s): Devon, England Earth Building Association

Free download from: Devon, England Earth Building Association
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Appropriate Plasters For Cob & Stone Walls … This pamphlet produced by the Devon, England Earth Building Association (where many hundreds of cob cottages exist, and are occupied) covers use of lime renders and washes for protection and repair of cob and stone.

Gives mixes, directions preparation methods, resources in the UK. Imported, 8 pages, xerographic.

The photo is of a cob house with thatched roof in Devon, England. A limewash over the cob walls makes the walls white.

The Rammed Earth House: Rediscovering the Most Ancient Building Material

Author(s): David Easton

Publisher: Chelsea Green Pub

Paperback: 306 pages

ISBN: 0930031792

ISBN-13: 978-0930031794

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How-To Editor’s Recommended Book, 10/01/96:
The beauty and grace of rammed earth construction is described in fascinating detail by David Easton. The photographs of different structures, both modern and ancient, by Cynthia Wright, create a breathtaking glimpse into a building technique that is as old as human history, but exactly suitable for today’s resource-conscious and environmentally friendly building needs. Trees may be getting a bit scarce these days, but there’s no current shortage of dirt, the main component of rammed earth homes. From such a prosaic material, gold has been spun in these timeless, graceful, and nearly indestructible homes and buildings. Card catalog description The Rammed Earth House is an eye-opening example of how the most dramatic innovations in home design and construction frequently have their origins in the distant past. By rediscovering the most ancient of all building materials – earth – forward thinking home builders can now create structures that set new standards for beauty, durability, and efficient use of natural resources. Rammed earth construction is a step forward into a sustainable future, when homes will combine pleasing aesthetics and intense practicality with a powerful sense of place. Rammed earth homes are built entirely on-site, using basic elements – earth, water, and a little cement. The solid masonry walls permit design flexibility while providing year-round comfort and minimal use of energy. The builder and resident of a rammed earth house will experience the deep satisfaction of creating permanence in a world dominated by the disposable.

Customer Comments

mmegias@telcel.net.ve , 02/24/97, rating=8:
Excellent, lacks some detail on construction. In Venezuela, South America, there is some interest in reviving an old method of construction, called tapial in spanish (rammed earth). Many old building remain in South America from the time of the spaniards. The book illustrates how a modern engineer, David Easton, in California, has taken over the problem of building with rammed earth in country where there is very little tradition, hence know how, on building with rammed earth. The book lacks detail on the rammed earth system employed by the authors. More drawings and pictures would be very useful to translate modern technology to underdevelopped countries. Best regards, Miguel A. Megias, Professor of Engineering Universidad de Carabobo Valencia, Venezuela e-mail mmegias@telcel.net.ve

Table of Contents
Ch. 1. The Evolution of Earthbuilding
Ch. 2. The Point of Beginning
Ch. 3. The Architectural Plan
Ch. 4. In Preparation for Building
Ch. 5. Foundations
Ch. 6. The Essential Soil
Ch. 7. The Art of Formbuilding
Ch. 8. Soil Preparation and Compaction
Ch. 9. Doors, Windows, Niches, and Nooks
Ch. 10. Bond Beams and Other Connections
Ch. 11. After the Wall
Ch. 12. The House in the Garden
Builders’ Resources: A. A Photographic Step-by-Step
Builders’ Resources: B. A Sample Home Design Program
Builders’ Resources: C. How to Identify Soils
Builders’ Resources: D. Restoring the Chew Kee Store
Builders’ Resources: E. Structural Engineering Design
Bibliography
Index

Ageless Adobe: History and Preservation in Southwestern Architecture

Author(s): Jerome Iowa

Publisher: Sunstone Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2005)

Paperback: 160 pages

ISBN: 086534034X

ISBN-13: 978-0865340343

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The American Southwest possesses an extraordinary depth of cultural heritage and much of its history is preserved in its architecture. Particularly prominent in the region’s man-made landscape are the historic structures made from the earth itself: adobe. Attention has turned to ways of preserving and maintaining the old buildings of the Southwest partly because of the growing national interest in historic preservation. However, in the Southwest there has also been an increased awareness of the inherent viability of native architecture. Adobe structures present unique challenges and require special treatment and until now, much of that information has been unpublished. Ageless Adobe provides practical details on methods of preservation and maintenance for old adobe buildings. The over 200 illustrations in the book along with directions on ‘how-to’ will enable the do-it-yourself home owner as well as the professional architect or contractor to plan and carry out renovation. The author presents solutions to the problems of keeping an historic structure intact while repairing it and making it 20th century livable. The issue of energy conservation is discussed at length and the premise of the book is that historic integrity does not have to be sacrificed for energy efficiency. Rehabilitation is always preferable, usually possible and often more profitable than demolition.

Earth Construction: A Comprehensive Guide

Author(s): Hugo Houben, Hubert Guillaud

Publisher: Intermediate Technology

Paperback: 372 pages

ISBN: 185339193X

ISBN-13: 978-1853391934

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Earth Construction: A Comprehensive Guide
Reissue Edition
Paperback Publication date: October 1993

This comprehensive, illustrated handbook deals with the world’s oldest and most widespread building material. Although earth is extremely versatile and can be used at relatively low cost, it is essential that users have a good knowledge of its real potential in order to use it to best effect, and to avoid misuse.

This book assembles, orders and clarifies information about building with earth which has up till now been available only in scattered form. Text supported by illustrations deals with the essential aspects of earth construction, taking one step at a time–decision-making, planning, design and the realization of a project–so that the procedures, benefits and precautions are easily accessible and understood by those involved at every level. The accumulated knowledge and experience of centuries of use are presented alongside current technologies and research findings. There is a chapter devoted to disaster-resistant construction techniques, and extensive bibliographies throughout for those who require more details about a particular subject area.

This is essential reading for anyone involved in construction projects at all levels, including decision-makers and planners, building inspectors, architects and engineers, technicians, building promoters and bricklayers, and sub-contractors–as well as students and academics–enabling them to visualize and plan programs which profit from earth’s wide range of qualities and ameliorate its defects, to test, stabilize and build with the local soil, and to find solutions to problems as they arise.

Table of Contents
1.Earth construction
2.Soil
3.Soil identification
4.Soil stabilization
5.Soil suitability
6.Tests
7.Characteristics
8.Construction methods
9.Production methods
10.Design guidelines
11.Disaster-resistant construction
12.Earth wall finishes
13.Bibliography

Adobe & Rammed Earth Buildings

Author(s): Paul McHenry

Publisher: University of New Mexico Press

ISBN: 0816511241

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AEarth is the oldest and most widely used building material in the world today. It’s abundant, inexpensive, and energy-efficient. But if you’re building with earth, simplicity of material needn’t be an excuse for poor planning. Paul Graham McHenry, author of the best-selling Adobe – Build It Yourself, here provides the most complete, accurate, and factual source of technical information on building with earth. Lavishly illustrated with scores of photographs and drawings, Adobe and Rammed Earth Buildings spells out details of: • soil selection
• adobe brick manufacturing
• adobe brick wall construction
• rammed earth wall construction
• window and door detailing
• earth wall finishes
• foundations
• floor and roof structures
• insulation
• mechanical considerations. Whether you’re designing a new building or renovating an existing structure,Adobe and Rammed Earth Buildings can show you how to achieve better results.

Grow Your Own House: Simon Velez and Bamboo Architecture

Author(s): Simon Velez

Publisher: Vitra Design Museum; Bilingual edition (January 1, 2000)

ISBN-10: 3931936252

ISBN-13: 978-3931936259

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Today, people are rediscovering the advantages of bamboo, one of the world’s key construction materials. Not only is it cheap and enduring, but also has an unmistakable aesthetic appeal. It’s inner structure bears an astonishing resemblance to many high-tech compounds. This book offers scholarly text along with abundant photographs and sketches.

Simon Velez — today’s most renowned architect working in bamboo — is the focus of much of this material. His impressive engineering achievements are seen in generously overhanging roofs, ingenious load-bearing structures, sophisticated joints and an innovative combination of materials. He successfully brings together traditional Columbian structural designs, ecological processes and avant-garde technology. Prominently featured is Velez’ ZERI pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany.

The title implies a focus on residential work, but much (perhaps more than half) of the projects are commercial, showcasing some truly impressive engineering. While joinery, botany, structure and engineering are covered, the essence of this book is about the possibilities of bamboo as a truly modern sustainable building material. There is much to stimulate the intellect in both the text, photos and illustrations.

Also discussed are the bamboo experiments of Buckminster Fuller, Frei Otto, Renzo Piano, Shoei Yoh and Arata Isozaki. Essays by Jean Dethier, Walter Liese, Eda Schaur, Frei Otto and Mateo Kries are presented in German and English.

256 pages, 2000

Bamboo Rediscovered

Author(s): Victor Cusack

Publisher: Chelsea Green Pub Co

Paperback: 96 pages

ISBN: 0959588981

ISBN-13: 978-0959588989

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This is a long overdue book to the bamboo-world that concentrates mostly on tropical, or clumping, bamboo. If you live in a geographical area (zone 9 and above)that allows you to grow tropical bamboo, or if you just wish to learn more about tropical bamboo, this book is a wonderful resource. It touches on the specifics of growing many tropical species, including propagation. The poor reputation that invasive, running, temperate bamboo has carried is not shared by the tropical species. Thanks to references like this book, bamboo-enthusiasts are learning that, for some, there is an alternative.

Mechanical Properties of Bamboo

Author(s): Jules J.A. Janssen

Publisher: Kluwer Academic Pub

Hardcover: 148 pages

ISBN: 0792312600

ISBN-13: 978-0792312604

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Hardcover Mechanical Properties of Bamboo (Forestry Sciences, Vol 37)

Building Bamboo Fences

Author: Isao Yoshikawa

Publisher: Books Nippan (June 1999)

Paperback: 184 pages

ISBN: 476610997X

ISBN-13: 978-4766109979

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Eleven prominent styles of bamboo fence are presented, giving a basic understanding of the art form, with detailed building instructions and design ideas for each.

About the Author

ISAO YOSHIKAWA
Born in Tokyo in 1940. Graduated from the Architecture Department of Shibaura Technical University. He established the Japan Garden Research Association in 1963. Presently chairperson of the Association. The honorary president of the Suzhou Society for study of Landscape & Gandens, China. The honorary president of the Hangzhou Society for study of Landscape & Gardens, China. He plays an active part as a scholar of Japanese gardens. a garden architect, a designer of stone art objects, etc.Major books he has authored include “Bamboo fences” (Ariake Shobo, 1977), “Style of Famous Garden in Japan” (Kenchiku Shiryo Kenkyusha. 1978), “Details of Garden Design” (Kenchiku Shiryo Kenkyusha. 1978), “Pasing Stones and Stepping Stones” (Ariake Shobo, 1979), “Gardens in Kyoto” (Kodansha, 1981), “An Illustrated Dictionary of Bamboo Fence and Rock Arrangement” (Kenchiku Shiryo Kenkyusha, 1 9R4), “Japanese Garden Architects (Japan Garden Research Association. 1993) and “Making a Small Garden” (Boutique-sha Co.. 1996).

The Book of Bamboo: A Comprehensive Guide to This Remarkable Plant, Its Uses, and Its History

Author(s): David Farrelly

Publisher: Sierra Club Books

ISBN: 087156825X

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Hardcover
Publication date: October 1995

This is the bamboo bible.

Bamboo’s amazing versatility, strength, and beauty have given it a larger role in human culture than any other plant. Both sustainable and plentiful, it has been used for millennia to make objects ranging from clothing and housing to more exotic luxuries like phonograph needles and children’s toys, to name but a few.
This acclaimed sourcebook—part history, part illustrated catalog,part cultivation guide—details the myriad uses of bamboo, along with an immense bounty of information and lore on how to grow, maintain, and harvest this extraordinary plant; how to use it in craft and construction projects, including floors, fences, papers, and play equipment; and bamboo’s place in the literary, visual, and musical arts. An encyclopedic roster of more than 1,200 bamboo species is a book in itself, as is author David Farrelly’s A-to-Z catalog of artifacts made from bamboo: acupuncture needles, blowguns, bridges, kites, ships, violins, windmills, and a thousand other things.
Strong, flexible, and beautiful in both its natural and finished states, bamboo is an abundant resource that could beneficially replace many less sustainable materials currently in use, and continue to transform our culture in the process.

ISBN-13: 978-3931936259 Order From Amazon.com

About the Author

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ISBN-13: 978-3931936259

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