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The Cob House is located near the entrance to the Miniature Railway in Stanley Park. It is open on weekends until June and every day in the summer from 10 am to 4 pm (weather permitting). Organic popcorn and refreshments are sold.
The Cob House Earthen Architecture - where community art meets sustainable design
One of SPES's most innovative and successful fundraising initiatives, the Cob House was built in 2004 by volunteers keen on producing both an environmentally sustainable structure and a community art project. The house is made of straw, clay, and sand, composed solely of reclaimed materials, and topped with a living roof. Its construction brought together research institutions such as UBC Civil Engineering and the BCIT Green Roof Research Facility, and set a precedent for the use of cob in urban areas. In fact, it won the first-ever Innovation Award from the Vancouver Regional Construction Association.
Over 200 volunteers of all ages participated, contributing thousands of hours to construct the whimsical Cob House. A journal with photos is available at http://www.stanleyparkecology.ca/programs/cob/journal/journal.htm.
Today, SPES sells organically-grown popcorn in the Cob House. The proceeds from our 100% donated kernels have since raised over $100,000 in funds for our education and conservation projects.
To learn more about the project, check out the [Stanley Park Earthen Architecture website].
