Straw bale workshop in Altai, Siberia, Russia

	Strawbale Workshop in Altai, Siberia Aug 18 to Sept 3, 2008, Bobrovka, Altai Krai, Russia
A unique educational event for natural building enthusiasts, designers, architects, builders, and anyone with an adventurous spirit, faith in sustainable human habitation, a desire to bridge cultural gaps through productive cooperation, and a good sense of humor. The workshop will be hosted by the Altai State Technical University’s Institute of Architecture and Design, for whom we will construct a “Creative Dacha.” This will be a public structure serving to raise awareness of the advantages of strawbale construction among students, professors, and other visitors to the site. Register NOW! The registration price goes up after June 30th, and we will accept no more registrations after July 15th. For more information and to register, contact The Altai Project via email Alyson @ altaiproject dot org.

The Project
This August, the first strawbale building to be built in the Altai Krai will be erected by Russian enthusiasts, a core team of US specialists, and an international cadre of volunteers (that’s you!). Builders Without Borders, The Altai Project, Barnaul Institute of Architecture and Design, and the Fund for 21st Century Altai have jointly created this international cooperative construction project. Our Russian colleagues have been working for over two decades to halt destructive projects and promote sustainable practices in this largely pristine mountain region of south-central Siberia. They need your help!

The Cause
Plans to build a large hydroelectric dam have been repeatedly shut down by citizen protest in this high-altitude region rich with rivers, streams, sunshine, and mountain winds. The Katun River, activists assert, must remain wild and undammed, as it is not only sacred to the indigenous Altai people but also a source of income through ecotourism.

Siberian nonprofits have been working hard to demonstrate practical, less destructive ways to meet the region’s needs sustainably—such as natural building. In 2005, US experts invited by The Altai Project and Builders Without Borders built a strawbale building in neighboring Altai Republic, working side by side with Siberian students and architecture professors.

Three years later, excitement about strawbale building is growing, the students and professors have invited us back, the US experts are prepared, and the only thing missing is you! Our hosts at the Institute of Architecture and Design need a student exhibit hall at their country campus in the pine woods along the Ob River. They want it to be strawbale so that students and visiting professors from Russia and abroad can experience this low-cost, beautiful building technique and promote it as a way to reduce the region’s needs for fuel, power, and lumber.

The Team
Project organizers are Alyson Ewald and Jennifer Castner, of Earth Island Institute’s The Altai Project.

Alyson and Jennifer have been supporting environmental causes in the region for over fifteen years.

Sergei Pomorov and Elena Nazarenko, dean and instructor from Barnaul’s Institute of Architecture and Design, will lead local volunteers and head up the design team. Elena participated in the strawbale project in 2005, and both Sergei and Elena visited strawbale buildings in the US afterward on an Altai Project exchange.

The Builders Without Borders volunteer building/teaching team will include Jeff Ruppert, Odisea Design, Boulder and Paonia, CO; Paul Koppana, Skyhawk Construction, Crestone, CO; and Cindy Smith, Mudcrafters, Crestone, CO. Jeff is a designer and engineer with many years of experience building with strawbales, as well as conventional construction. Paul is a quality contractor who leads an artistic crew of natural builders in the challenging climate of mountainous Colorado. They specialize in earth-plastered strawbale homes, with fine detailing. Cindy is a professional plasterer, knowledgeable about the qualities of various plaster ingredients and excited about experimenting with local resources. All three visited the Altai in 2005, where they led a local crew in building a strawbale structure.

The BWB organization is headed by Derek Roff, Director, and Catherine Wanek, Administrative Coordinator (www.strawbalecentral.com ).

Kuba Wihan, a multilingual Czech builder currently working with Amazonails in the UK, will act as the project’s volunteer coordinator. He speaks English and Russian as well as several other languages and will help ensure smooth international cooperation on the building site. Russian interpreters will assist with communication among the team.

The Itinerary
Workshop participants should plan on arriving in Moscow no later than the morning of August 17. You will meet Kuba there and fly with the whole group to Barnaul, in southern Siberia. You’ll overnight in Barnaul before heading out to the project site in nearby Bobrovka.

After a two-day theoretical workshop on natural building, the US experts will lead a practical workshop during which Russian and international participants will build a strawbale Creative Dacha for the Institute amid the pine trees at the countryside campus, including walls, windows, doors, roof, and plaster (weather permitting).
The project will draw to a close on or about August 30th, at which point participants may return home if they wish.

Additionally, you have the option of a three-day trip to beautiful Chemal in nearby Altai Republic to visit the strawbale building we built in 2005. The group will depart for home on September 3.

The Location
A cultural, geopolitical, and ecological crossroads, this region is considered one of the great treasures of central Asia. Located just north of the Russian borders with Kazakhstan, China, and Mongolia, the Altai contains a UNESCO World Heritage Site, several protected territories, and a large number of endemic and endangered species, including the snow leopard. It is a place of cultural diversity, where Russian Orthodoxy meets Muslim and ancient indigenous belief systems and where indigenous peoples are struggling to protect their traditional sacred lands from destruction and inappropriate exploitation.

Our building site is near Barnaul, Altai Krai. There are traditional Siberian villages, hiking paths, and rivers and streams nearby, and not far off are the stunning foothills and mountains of the Altai, a favorite Russian vacation destination. While the building will take priority, we expect that there will also be opportunity for recreation during the workshop.

The Experience
Participants in this project will gain the satisfaction of having contributed something tangible toward the preservation of this pristine mountain land, and will also experience the thrills of unpredictable, charming, unique and deeply compelling Russia. This project will allow participants to witness the famous Russian hospitality, learn about Siberian culture, and perhaps even glimpse an “enigmatic Russian soul.” The Altai, with its inspiring landscape, is known for capturing the heart and not letting go.

You will need to be prepared for the unexpected, and ready to undergo occasional inconveniences or discomforts. Flexibility, good health, respect for others, good communication skills, and a sense of humor will come in handy.

Lodging
Tent or cottage accommodations will be provided. If convenient, please bring your own sleeping bag. Three meals a day, drinking water, and tea will also be provided. Please let us know if you are vegetarian or vegan or have other dietary restrictions.

Travel
As mentioned, you should make your own arrangements to get to Moscow, either by plane, train, or other means. Please arrive by the morning of August 17th for a quick Moscow meetup and tour. We can organize accommodations and transfers in Moscow if needed and will make all other arrangements for the rest of the trip.

Visas
Our experienced team will procure Russian visas for all volunteers who are US citizens. Other volunteers will need to acquire and pay for their own visas or other permission (if required) to enter Russia and stay for the duration of the trip.

Cost
Non-US citizens: $1,900 (until June 30th) includes internal Russian flights, local ground transportation, all meals and accommodations for approximately 15 days, expert instruction and hands-on learning of strawbale building and plastering (in addition to the formal seminar on strawbale and other natural building techniques), full-time interpretation and on-the-spot trouble-shooting by fluent Russian and English speakers familiar with the region, and a cross-cultural experience you will not soon forget.

US citizens: $2,200 (until June 30th) includes all the above plus Russian visa support, visa fees, and our preparation of the documents for you.

All participants: You cover your own round trip transportation from your home to Moscow.

After June 30th the cost of participation is $2,100 for non-US citizens and $2,400 for US citizens.
The side trip to Chemal will cost an additional $150.
We will accept no more registrations after July 15th.
Non-US citizens will be responsible for acquiring Russian tourist visas independently – start early!
Only money orders or credit cards accepted.
Participation is limited to 10 people; register early!
Participation will be contingent on flight availability between Moscow and Barnaul.

Other details
US citizens must have a US passport valid through at least March 2009, with at least two blank visa pages in it, in order to participate. Citizens of other countries must be eligible to receive a Russian visa, if one is required for your country.

Please assess your ability to undergo a sometimes rigorous experience in an unfamiliar environment before signing up for this trip. We will do our best to ensure the safety and comfort of all participants, but in Russia nothing is guaranteed, and we organizers are but mere mortals.