posted 12 years ago
In a seismic zone, it is absolutely imperative to do the cordwood masonry within the confines of a strong post-and-beam timber frame. This compartmentalizes the cordwood into small sections. This feature was insisted upon by the code enforcement officer at an Earthwood house that was built in Carlsborg, WA, about 20 years ago. This was a Seismic 3 zone. The house never suffered from earthquake damage, to my knowledge, but I don't know what kind of quakes it has endured, on the Richter scale.