Cordwood construction

For the on-site construction I found a way of construction that I had never seen before, and that I find quite interesting: the cordwood construction. 

This consists on a natural building method in which "cordwood" or short pieces of debarked tree are laid up crosswise with masonry or cob mixtures to build a wall. In this kind of construction walls are usually constructed such that the pieces of wood are protrude from the mortar by a small amount. The walls can be typically between 12 and 24 inches thick. 

The good things about this system is the maximization of interior space (with rounded plans), the economy of resources and mostly the ease of construction. It is also very sustainable, although sometimes some chemicals can be used during the elaborations. 

These cordwood walls can be load-beargin (only using built-up corners, or curved wall designed), or they can also laid within a post and beam framework that provides structural reinforcement. When it works as a load-bearing wall, the compressive strenght of the wood and mortar allows for roofing to be tied directly into the wall. 

The construction is made on-site:usually the wood is collected nearby the building, as we can chose among a big variety of woods. They need to build a proper foundation, and then the construction of the walls can begin. There is no need of experienced homebuilders, as anyone can build with this system, is quite easy. The construction is made just combining some inches beads of mortar, and inserting pieces of wood in a logical way.