Reinstating the Vernacular - a material strategy for affordable housing

Lydia Liu, MArch (Year: 5)

The project is about rediscovering the potential of clay construction, to propose a material strategy for affordable housing in Bridport. Cobbauge, a new two-layered wall system in development, is not only the first in cob construction to comply with UK building regulations, but also, as my project argues, a material that has radical social and economic potential. www.cobbauge.eu By combining the abundance and cheapness of clay and hemp with a communal self-build framework, the efficiencies of the "Flying Factory", and the inherent economies of co-housing, the self-build Cobbauge framework can offer a far deeper sense of ownership and participation than housing typically delivered by a developer.
Cobbauge prototype made at Hooke Park. The loadbearing & insulating wall is built out of 2 layers with different ratios of clay to fibre, optimising structural & thermal performance to UK standards.

Cobbauge prototype made at Hooke Park. The loadbearing & insulating wall is built out of 2 layers with different ratios of clay to fibre, optimising structural & thermal performance to UK standards.

Since the material can be extracted and processed onsite, thanks to the Flying Factory, a right balance between machine & labour can provide local employment and help to reverse rural-urban migration.

Since the material can be extracted and processed onsite, thanks to the Flying Factory, a right balance between machine & labour can provide local employment and help to reverse rural-urban migration.

With training from material experts and machinery and formworks rented from local contractors, the assisted self build framework places itself in between self-build and an industrial scale production.

With training from material experts and machinery and formworks rented from local contractors, the assisted self build framework places itself in between self-build and an industrial scale production.

Bridport Co-Housing Site. 9 individual self-build plots are reinterpreted into 20 cohousing and private homes, with shared courtyards & boundary walls reducing labour in building.

Bridport Co-Housing Site. 9 individual self-build plots are reinterpreted into 20 cohousing and private homes, with shared courtyards & boundary walls reducing labour in building.

The housing form is designed for adaptations and extensions. To extend a cob wall, you simply have to wet the surface and attach another block with the same cob mix as mortar.

The housing form is designed for adaptations and extensions. To extend a cob wall, you simply have to wet the surface and attach another block with the same cob mix as mortar.

A typical bedroom with Cobbauge walls, timber-framed hemp partitions and a thatched roof.

A typical bedroom with Cobbauge walls, timber-framed hemp partitions and a thatched roof.

Using all natural materials from clay, hemp and thatch, the houses can return to the ground without pollution.

Using all natural materials from clay, hemp and thatch, the houses can return to the ground without pollution.

By reducing costs from outsourcing construction, programs such as the communal kitchen that would've been luxurious for individual low-cost houses are now made possible at the community scale.

By reducing costs from outsourcing construction, programs such as the communal kitchen that would've been luxurious for individual low-cost houses are now made possible at the community scale.

The communal bathroom. Entirely self-built by the residents, the laborious building process of cob is not seen as a risk but as an opportunity for self organization and resilience.

The communal bathroom. Entirely self-built by the residents, the laborious building process of cob is not seen as a risk but as an opportunity for self organization and resilience.

From sourcing raw materials to the communal build program, to the continual maintenance of the home, self-build is embedded with a sense of ownership that incentivizes housing as a long-term process.

From sourcing raw materials to the communal build program, to the continual maintenance of the home, self-build is embedded with a sense of ownership that incentivizes housing as a long-term process.