Romanian house makes it to Natural Homes top 10 best "cob" houses in the world

Romanian house makes it to Natural Homes top 10 best “cob” houses in the world

Newsroom 28/11/2012 | 10:48

The Romanian eco building that was included in the Natural Homes top was built starting from an idea of architect Ileana Mavrodin, a member in the “Green House” project. The project is located in the western part of Romania, on the right shore of Nera river, close to the Banat village Sasca Română. According to the website naturalhomes.org, Ileana Mavrodin used eco-friendly technologies to help Romanians rediscover local crafts and the spirit of communion with nature.

According to the official website of the project, www.casa-verde.ro, it aims to promote “a friendly, more gentle architecture and at the same time, ecological and at the same time a healthy life style, close to nature and respectful with the environment.”

“Cob” is a mix of clay, water, straw and sand and the constructions made of this material do not include formwork, bricks and chemical substances. Although it is similar to trellis, “cob” is different as it is knead until it reaches the consistence of bread dough; frameworks are not used for construction; organic forms give it an exceptional resilience to earthquakes and other types of shocks; it is molded by hand, each construction being unique and unrepeatable, reflecting the molder’s mood.

Top best “cob” houses in the world list included buildings from Canada, Great Britain, United States, Ukraine and South Africa.