I have always had an interest in constructing useful things with the materials at hand. From furniture made of reclaimed flooring to a cob pizza oven made from the earth it sits on, the functionality of a design should not be limited by the materials that comprise it. Rather, I believe, like Simon Velez, that designers should draw upon the resources and raw materials near a project’s site in order to mitigate the carbon footprint of the structure and help tie the design to its environment in a more sustainable and aesthetic way. I love when designers break free from using conventional materials and embrace alternatives. My goal in this post is to present some inspiring images of an ambitious project in Oregon that demonstrates just this thought. Enjoy!
To begin, I should introduce the alternative building material at hand: cob. At its simplest form, Cob is a mixture of straw, clay, sand, water, and earth. Similar to adobe construction, cob is made by mixing up these raw materials into a clay-like mixture that can then be used to build up and sculpt a physical form. The straw and clay mixture results in a flame resistant, high tensile strength matrix that has incredible insulating qualities, as well as easy workability. Furthermore, cob allows a designer to easily participate in the sculpting of a project, rather than the rigid construction of it. In this way, cob is not just a building material, but a medium of sculpture.
I have only dabbled in cob construction once, and I must admit that, while it is comprised of a few simple raw materials, it requires hard work to pay off. What follows is an incredible four year backyard project by Meka Bunch in rural Oregon. Meka used cob not to build a home, but to sculpt one with incredible artistic flair.
Arch360 
I absolutely LOVE cob! Currently working on a 450 square foot (roughly) cob chicken coop. So stoked about it!