Earthen Architecture Building
To Be Built in Stanley Park

May 5, 2004 (No. 26) - The Stanley Park Ecology Society and the Vancouver Park Board will officiate at a ground breaking ceremony for Stanley Park's first earthen architecture building or cob house near the entrance to the Children's Farmyard on Monday, May 10th at 6 pm. A cob demonstration building with a living roof will be constructed throughout the summer in Stanley Park. Cob is a building material made of clay, sand and straw which has been used around the world to create beautiful buildings that stand the test of time made from materials that are natural and ecologically sustainable.

The round, 100 square foot structure's foundation will be constructed of 3 tonnes of granite reclaimed from a church that recently burned down at 10th Avenue and Quebec Street which was donated by Impact Demolition. An added bonus was the discovery of a seam of clay near Queen Elizabeth Park at Nat Bailey Stadium Park where the Millennium Sport Facility is currently under construction. This material will now be moved to the cob house construction site as one of the project's central building components.

Stanley Park's cob house will be built by a team of youth and community volunteers led by experienced cob builders Ian Marcuse and Steve Lay of Down To Earth Building Bee.

The Park Board will contribute $20,000 to the cob house project from their Corporate Sponsorship Fund. The building will be used to generate revenue for environmental education and will be a centrepiece for programs on "green" buildings and sustainable city living. A September completion date is anticipated.

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Contact: Kristi Tatebe, Stanley Park Ecology Society, 604-681-7099.

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation maintains 200 parks and 40 major facilities throughout the City of Vancouver. The Park Board's mission is to provide, preserve and advocate for parks and recreation services to benefit people, communities and the environment.

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