The Globe and Mail reported on Shannon Kyles, a retired architectural history teacher, who tapped into cob building to create a future for a dilapidated building. Kyles is no stranger to saving ...

and it's prepared by drying it in the sun instead of using energy-intensive methods. If you're worried about building houses out of mud, don't be; correctly sealed cob can last for centuries.

Fans of "natural building" techniques, like the cob used by Pedersen, see need and opportunity. Adobe bricks made of clay, sand and straw, similar to cob, have long been used in the Southwest.