HOME ABOUT US PRICES WHAT'S COB? FAQS GALLERY NEWS / BLOG ARTICLES COURSES CONTACT US LINKS Contact Details Email Edwards Eco Buildings Cromer Norfolk Tel: 01603 613218 Mob: 07949 241815	Edwards Cob Eco Buildings Sustainable Cob Design News from Edwards Cob & Eco Building Summer of Cob Course April-September, 2007 We will be running several intensive week long introduction to cob workshops one a month all through the summer, these will enable beginners to feel confident enough to tackle their own project be it an extension garden room or even a whole house. There will also be three day, clay and lime plastering workshops. We are also running weekend workshops on how to make your own pizza/bread oven and sculpting with cob too. We have a beautiful old cob house with space for participants to camp. All food and camping accommodation is included, and boating on the broad to relax after a long day cobbing. Norfolk Magazine September, 2006 A Labour of Love By Adrian Judd Resembling the mythical and almost ethnic, cob houses are quite something to see. Rising quietly out of the earth from which they came, they sit peacefully alongside the rest of nature. And with techniques dating back thousands of years, cob building is "not just some New Age hippy drivel," as Kate Edwards, who has just completed the first project of her new eco-build venture, tells us. Kate is filled with passion for her cause, and talks enthusiastically about her cob building training in Ireland, and various cob structures from around the world, especially New Zealand. Clearly she puts a lot of effort into what she does, and shows a lot of affection for the building we have come to see. It was built as a studio at the bottom of the garden for artist and writer Frances Viner who couldn't stress enough how much she loves it. She tells us that the "more she uses it, the more she loves it" and that it has a "fabulous, healing atmosphere". Kate emphasises the satisfaction she gets from the job that she does, confiding that it is the "best job I can possibly do" ... Read full article Norwich Evening News, 22 July 2006 A greener way of life By Jo Malone As sunlight through the coloured glass creates beautiful patterns on the walls of Fran Viner's studio it seems almost unbelievable to think it was built with the mud dug from the foundations. But that's the beauty of cob buildings, says designer and builder Kate Edwards; they use the materials available and are incredibly eco friendly. Absolutely anything can be built in this traditional way too, from pizza ovens and staircases to garden rooms, entire houses and there are even 10-storey cob built tower blocks. Cob building is a green move right from the start because there is little transportation of building materials, as the soil dug from the foundations will be mixed with sand (or clay if it's sandy) and chopped straw and water to create the ideal consistency. Then it is simply pressed into shape - and it sets like rock. “It's an incredibly simple method,” said Kate. She uses her sculpting skills to create whatever design is needed. Built in Fran's garden in the Avenues area of Norwich, it's a thermal mass, holding the heat absorbed during the day and slowly releasing it at night. Fran, an artist who formerly worked with Channel 4's Raving Beauties, also has a small wood burning stove to take the chill off in the winter. Kate used found and reclaimed materials for everything from the wooden floor to the roof beams. While one side of the roof is glass, coloured by World Glass in Norwich, the other is covered with grass and flowers. Kate says the fuel bill hikes in recent years are leading more people to consider eco buildings, which need little heating, last forever and can be built very easily. “I wanted something really earth friendly,” said Fran, adding that she is absolutely delighted at the result and loves working in this studio. “It is perfect. I come here first thing every morning with a cup of tea and I write. It has got real spirit and character,” she says. Read full article	Cob oven, being built Cob artists studio, Norfolk Cob artists studio, Norfolk For more images see our GALLERY