ReedCob – An eco-efficient building technology for monolithic walls based on earth and reeds

Abstract

A new technology for walls named “reedcob” was developed and has been characterized, namely by the building and monitoring of a prototype. The technology, based on cob walls, mainly consists on building monolithic walls but with successive layers of a mix based on earth and reed fibres, with low amounts of lime putty and pozzolan from ceramic waste, and layers of reeds. The construction of a cabin has shown that the technology was easy and fast to use by unskilled craftsmanship. For the past 1.5 years the cabin has been monitored visually and continues to perform well; it has also been tested by non destructive techniques and exterior and interior temperature and relative humidity have been registered. Comparison to more common walls, based on earth as cob or rammed earth or concrete, has been made and results highlighted.