‘Balecob’: Combine the Benefits of Straw Bale and Cob Building

Reader Contribution by Kyle Chandler-Isacksen and Be The Change Project
Published on March 2, 2018
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Stem wall of urbanite and earthbag.

We live in exciting times in the world of natural building!  In the grand scheme of things, the natural building movement is still in its infancy.  While building with earth and sticks and such is ancient and global in application, its renaissance in the western world goes back only 30 or 40 years. And those 40 years of experience have been tempered by codes, regulations, and the river of twisted cultural values resulting in a slowly evolving field.  But, it is growing like never before as people seek a greater sense of belonging in their homes and communities and look for a more authentic existence.  With this growth, as with any new technology, natural builders continue to spawn innovations and creativity.  Balecob is one such innovation whose time has come to be on the center stage.

There are many wonderful and inspiring books and websites out there that go into great detail about the quixotic nature of clay or the transcendental qualities of cob buildings and so on (check out housealive.org, for starters). With this article, however, I’ll start with the assumption that readers have a basic understanding of natural building.

What’s Balecob and Why Now?

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