Tiny Insights from the Countryside.
No. 070 Reading Time 4 minutes
Yes, it can.
Cob can build homes as big as you need.
In trying to make cob fit into “normal” shapes,
people often compromise on its quality.
Cob is more than just a building material.
It’s a piece of art.
Living sculptures you can inhabit.
When you start forcing cob into rigid,
rectangular forms,
you’re fighting against its nature.
And nature… loves curves.

Look around you.
Trees aren’t straight until you mill them.
Rocks aren’t square until you chisel them.
Every right angle you see in construction comes at a cost—
extra energy,
extra effort,
and extra money.
The wood must be sawed and planed.
The rocks must be shaped and sanded.
Even steel must be melted and forced into shape.
What about cob?
Cob thrives in curves.
Can you make cob walls square?
Yes.
But it’ll cost you extra time and money.
Why?
Because you’re forcing cob to be something it’s not.
Curved walls,
on the other hand,
are easier to build.
Stronger too.
Curves distribute weight evenly.
They don’t create weak points like corners do.
That’s why ancient cob homes,
with rounded walls, have stood for centuries.
Their strength lies in their shape.
But it’s not just about strength.
It’s about beauty.
What we find beautiful in a space are the same things we find beautiful in a person: character, warmth, and curves.
Alain de Botton
Curves make spaces feel alive.
They invite you in.
They hold you.
Organic shapes mimic the flow of nature.
They feel softer, calmer, more alive.
Look at the hand-sculpted mud homes of our ancestors.
Or the works of Antonio Gaudí.
They echo the patterns of rivers, trees, and mountains.
Living in a cob home isn’t just living in a house.
It’s living in harmony.
So, can cob make big, square homes?
Yes.
But should it?
That’s for you to decide.
Do you want a house that fits into the mold of “normal”?
Or do you want a living, breathing sculpture?
Something that feels like it belongs to the earth?
Cob is flexible.
But its magic lies in its curves.
What you can watch - Inspired By. . . SunRay Kelley
What you can listen to - SunRay Kelley a Visionary Living from his Loving heart, in a Conscious way.
“Building is all about the human consciousness to me. It’s about our evolution more than the buildings themselves.”
What You Can Read - In Praise of Shadows

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