Cordwood construction

Cordwood construction (also called "cordwood masonry," "stackwall construction","stovewood construction" or "stackwood construction") is a term used for 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.

Walls are usually constructed such that the pieces of wood are "proud" of (protrude from) the mortar by a small amount (an inch or less). Walls typically range between 12 and 24 inches thick, though in northern Canada, some walls are as much as 36 inches thick.

Cordwood homes are attractive for their visual appeal, maximization of interior space (with a rounded plan), economy of resources, and ease of construction. Wood usually accounts for about 40- 60% of the wall system, the remaining portion consisting of a mortar mix and insulating fill. Cordwood construction can be sustainable depending on design and process. There are two main types of Cordwood Construction, Throughwall and M-I-M (mortar-insulation-mortar). In Throughwall, the mortar mix itself contains an insulative material, usually sawdust, chopped newsprint, or paper sludge, in sometimes very high percentages by mass (80% paper sludge/20% mortar). In the more common M-I-M, and unlike Brick or Throughwall masonry, the mortar does not continue throughout the wall. Instead, three- or four-inch (sometimes more) beads of mortar on each side of the wall provide stability and support, with a separate insulation between them. Cordwood walls can be load-bearing (using built-up corners, or curved wall designed) or laid within a post and beam framework which provides structural reinforcement and is suitable for earthquake-prone areas. As a load-bearing wall, the compressive strength of wood and mortar allows for roofing to be tied directly into the wall. Different mortar mixtures and insulation fill material both affect the wall's overall R value, or resistance to heat flow; and conversely, to its inherent thermal mass, or heat/cool storage capacity.

Remains of cordwood structures still standing date back as far as one thousand years in northern Greece and Siberia. However, more contemporary versions could be found in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.There are no detailed information about the origins of cordwood construction. However, it is plausible that forest dwellers eventually erected a basic shelter between a fire and a stacked wood pile. In the work of William Tischler of University of Wisconsin, he states that "current" cordwood probably started in the late 1800s (decade) in Quebec, Wisconsin, and Sweden. He believes that the technique started in these areas around the same time.

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