7/29/2019 Cob Construction

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A Date with Cob

I always wanted to experience what it could be like to build your own

home and live in it. However was very little aware of the fact that this

concept is being followed in our country even today. I first got to

experience it on a 4 day workshop at Kelicha-pada where the agenda

was Self-Help Construction.

The workshop was organised by Ar.Sourabh Phadke who practices Self

Help Construction techniques and is well acquainted with cob

construction. He was joined in by 3 volunteers Ar. Namrata

Dhamankar, Ar. Kanchan Joshi and Ar. Mayur Kulkarni in this task along

with local villagers.

Kelicha-pada, a village situated 10kms from Jawahar, houses a

population of approx 450 residents. The BAIF organizations in Jawahar

along with locals have initiated an overall eco-tourism project in the

village. The village attracts a number of tourists in the monsoon

months. Under this scheme there are proposals to construct 4 dorms

and a common village kitchen-dining area. The committee for this

tourism initiative consists of all the villagers itself with each one

handling a separate portfolio and working for the development of their

village.

It was actually intriguing to see what wonders one can do with Mother

Earth. Cob construction is the technique of building with mud. Mud in

this case becomes the primary material, Fodder for reinforcement,

Water to bind all the mixture together and Hay to absorb the excess

moisture from the mixture. One can construct a wall up to a height 3 ft

per day over which is not advisable since self drying time needs to be

given to the wall. There are a number of surface treatments possible in

mud walls along with carvings andother details.

It was also interesting to see the reactions of the local project engineer

and localities on building with mud. They were far from convinced

initially but the end of 4 days saw a change in their outlook, with many

attempting andjoining us in the process.

The hospitality we receive for 4 days was very homely. We were

accommodated in the village house with a family which had been

identified by BAIF as family for Home Stay. The food too was mouth-

watering with women serving us with smile and love every time. This

workshop was a unique experience for me and I wish to do more of

them frequently!