Let me introduce you today to one of my favorite gurus of natural building. Conrad Rogue is the founder of “house alive” and has been pioneering cob building for many years and is the author of “house of earth: a complete handbook for earthen construction.” For over 15 years House Alive has taught more than 1000 students how earthen building materials can enhance and uplift our built environment in a simple and elegant way.

I reached out to Conrad initially to commend him for an article he wrote called “cob speed” which beautifully deconstructs the comparisons between industrial and earthen buildings and how the expectations of natural buildings are often very skewed.

In this interview I asked Conrad about the fundamental differences between “green” and “natural” building. We go in depth about why it’s essential to incorporate appropriate technology into natural buildings in order to make them perform optimally, and we go over the ever-important process of passing your plans for building through the permitting process and how to get the authorities to open up to progressive building ideas.

Resources:

House Alive Website

"Cob Speed" Article