African Cob Earth Houses
African Earth houses construction is as strong as concrete and lasts for a thousand years, in fact parts of the Great Wall of China were built with rammed earth and it's still standing today. In America earth houses are known as Cob homes. Cob refers to the building material, which is a mix of clay, sand, and straw with lime sometimes mixed in.
Earth or Cob houses are not new, in fact old methods of building clay and mud homes in Africa are now popular in cities since the demand for houses is high and construction cost in 30% less than conventional building techniques and creating a host of new jobs.
African Earth houses are both affordable and Eco-friendly on a continent where most things are very sustainable and renewable natural resources are plentiful. Most houses are made with a mixture of sand gravel and nontraditional with just a little bit of cement added. After making the mix, mud is put into blocks and sun-dried to form bricks. These mud bricks are then used to make walls, and are plastered with the same mud mix.
Compared to conventional buildings made of concrete, earth homes have good indoor air quality. Earth houses are naturally insulated, so they will be cool in summers and warm in winters helping to save electricity. African Earth houses might last a thousand years.
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