The first modern British house using straw and mud was built as part of a project to build more energy efficient homes.
The UK’s first CobBauge domestic building was built by local builders Grocott and Murfit in January after a four-year project by Hudson Architects.
The walls of CobBauge House, in Fakenham, Norfolk, are built from hemp straw, water and earth (or mud), known as Cob.
The new technique makes it possible to thermally insulate walls according to modern standards.
Architect Anthony Hudson used an ancient construction method, composed of basic materials, to build a bungalow that meets modern building standards.
The property has large triple glazed windows facing south to take advantage of the sun in winter and an air source heat pump will provide heating.
The UK’s first domestic CobBauge building was built by local builders Grocott and Murfit in January after a four-year project by Hudson Architects.
The property has large triple glazed windows facing south to take advantage of the sun in winter and an air source heat pump will provide heating. Pictured: The front of the completed house in Norfolk.
The walls of CobBauge House, in Fakenham, Norfolk, are built from hemp straw, water and earth (or mud), known as Cob. Pictured: Anthony Hudson, far left
Clay is one of the most sustainable construction materials; some Cob buildings date back more than 500 years, but were replaced in the 19th century by modern methods.
The UK’s first domestic CobBauge building was built by local builders Grocott and Murfit in January after a four-year project by Hudson Architects.
It is part of an EU-funded project to bring adobe construction into the 21st century, focusing on low-carbon construction as the first regulatory-compliant adobe construction.
After the EU announced it was looking for architects to come up with new ways to use land in homes, Hudson, 68, jumped at the opportunity.
He said: ‘The challenge was to create a house using earth as the main building material, but which could also be thermally insulated.
‘Earth is a very sustainable way to build, especially as it is widely available here in the UK.
“The problem is that to make it an effective insulator you usually have to make the walls incredibly thick, which is not practical.”
Although there is still a long way to go before adobe homes can hit the mainstream market, Hudson is confident that the homes will become the new normal.
He said: ‘Although the materials are cheap and easy to obtain, the construction method is time-consuming.
‘At the moment everything has to be done by hand, so labor costs are high.
‘However, our next step is to figure out how we can remanufacture buildings to reduce that amount.
“Once we have that figured out, I suppose it will be a very attractive approach.”
Hudson and his team decided to combine pure cob to create structural integrity and thermally insulated earth.
Its green roof will support biodiversity and offset the loss of green space on the site.
A three-bedroom Cob house can be built for as little as £20,000, but the cost of Hudson Architect’s project is currently unknown.
A three-bedroom Cob house can be built for as little as £20,000, but the cost of Hudson Architect’s project is currently unknown.
An artist’s impression of what the cobblestone house would look like.
Clay is one of the most sustainable construction materials; some Cob buildings date back more than 500 years, but were replaced in the 19th century by modern methods.
An open day for the mud house will be held in Fakenham, Norfolk, in March.
In 2011, Devon builder Kevin McCabe set out to create a 10,000 square foot cob house, but the project was delayed due to issues including bad weather.
Once completed, the mud house cost nothing to heat, but McCabe admitted that he had blown his original budget of £350,000 and did not know how much the total was.
