The Use of Earth and Clay Plasters
Earth Building UK Conference, 13th Jan 2012, York
The Ron Cooke Hub at the University of York, Heslington, York. YO10 5GE.

A packed session of presentations throughout the day starting at 10:15 with coffee. The presentations are from 10:45 to 17:30 mixed in with opportunities for you to find a networker to talk with. Lunch is 13.15 to 14.15 and the day closes at 17:40.

A post conference tour with Nigel Copsey and Ben Gourley on Saturday. Get up close to conservation work at York House, Malton. The tour starts with an introduction to the history of York House, its conservation strategy and analysis of the earthen building materials. You will work with some of the plasters in the yard at York House. Confirm your attendance with Louise Cooke, Tel:01944 728441 or Mob: 07761 698895 so EBUK can confirm travel arrangements.
 

The exhibition accompanying the conference is amazing and you can be inspired by earth buildings, old and new, from the UK and the rest of Europe. This fascinating exhibition was created by leading experts in Europe. We have a packed session of presentations throughout the day mixed in with opportunities for you to find a networker to talk to.


 

The World's most experienced earth builders are talking at the conference. Experts from Scotland, Cornwall, East Anglia, Bath and more will be sharing their ideas and knowledge about clay plasters. You can also talk to the speakers at gathering points throughout the day. They will be on hand to answer any questions and share their experience of building, working and living with earth.

 

How much does it cost? Members £42.00 Non Members £63.00

Cancellation: if you register and then need to cancel EBUK will reimburse you if you cancel before the 6^th January. After this date EBUK will not be able to refund you. You can pay by via PayPal or via a direct bank transfer to Account: EBUK, Sort Code: 08-92-99 Account No: 65342680 Bankers: The co-operative Bank, PO Box 250, Delf House, Southway, Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT.

Louise Cooke Director and Chair Earth Building UK

Louise [her website is here] is an archaeologist and heritage researcher. She graduated from the University of Birmingham in 1999 and worked as a field archaeologist before working for English Heritage. She then returned to study at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL. She has a substantial portfolio of projects reflecting work undertaken in the UK, for clients such as English Heritage. She is also in demand to participate in projects at Ghadames (Libya), Saqqara (Egypt) and ongoing work at Merv (Turkmenistan). Her work is recognised internationally as an Expert Member of the International Scientific Committee on Earthen Architectural Heritage (ISCEAH), a director (chair) for Earth Building UK, and lead creating a European Earth Building Network.

Louise welcomes the conference and speaks at 10:45 on

Why earth plasters matter in heritage buildings and new builds

Tom Morton MA,(Hons) Dip Arch, ARIAS from Arc Architects

Tom has considerable expertise in ecological construction, conservation and the reuse of old buildings. He has managed a wide variety of projects for private and community clients and leads Arc's research activities. Tom is RIAS accredited in both conservation and sustainable design.

Tom speaks at 11:00 on

Realising the dream: Clay plastering in Practice

Annabel Fawcus  from Earthed World

Annabel completed a natural building apprenticeship in the USA with Cob Cottage Company, She was greatly inspired to continue exploring the world of cob and its never ending possibilities. She has a background in community arts where she was engaged in various projects relating to alternative energy, including a bicycle powered sound system and wind powered light sculpture. Cob for her has been a creative response to the continuing destruction of our natural environment, not just about building, but a whole way of life which inspires, empowers and provides a space to celebrate the world we live in.

Annabel speaks at 11:45 on

Exploring the wonderful sculptural world of earthen finishes

Ben Gourley from the University of York with Nigel Copsey from Earth, Stone and Lime Co.

Ben's professional interests include archaeological survey, timber earth and stone conservation, and computer applications in archaeology. He studied classical archaeology at Queens University, and during a masters at the University of British Columbia became interested in traditional buildings technologies. In 1998 he moved to the UK to study Architectural Conservation in the Institute for Advanced Architectural Studies at the University of York. He currently does research in Conservation and Buildings Archaeology at York.

Ben speaks at 12:30 on

Earth Plasters: A North East Yorkshire Tradition

Andrew Heath from BRE Centre for Innovative Construction Materials, University of Bath.

Andrew graduated with a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Cape Town in 1994, and worked for the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria and in California until 2000. He obtained his MS in 2000 and PhD in 2002, both from the University of California at Berkeley. He joined the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at the University of Bath in 2003. Andrew's research interests are in laboratory testing and modelling of soils, landslide assessment, transportation infrastructure engineering, and the use of earth, waste and other sustainable materials in construction.

Andrew speaks at 14:15 on

Thin earth walls: Technical issues with plasters and plastering

James Bryce from Clayworks.

Clayworks have been building and designing with unfired clay and other natural materials since 2001. Formerly known as Cob in Cornwall they have restored and built over 100 earth buildings. They have a developed a unique range of interior clay plasters, and run the UK's first Clay Plaster Network (CPN), with the ambition of retraining skilled plasterers in the use of clay plaster. They have written two books, Building with Cob: A step by step guide and Using Natural Finishes.

James speak at 14:50 on

Making clay plaster work

Barbara Jones from Straw Works

Barbara is the UK's leading authority on straw bale construction. She has built over 30 buildings ranging from small workshops to stunning homes. She is constantly inventing and pioneering new techniques and details. Her book ‘Building with Straw Bales’ is an excellent practical workbook, which covers all aspects of straw bale construction. You can see a collection of her homes on the Natural Homes Map.

Barbara speaks at 16:00 on

The application of clay plasters to straw bale buildings and how the ECVET clay plaster training course works in the UK and Europe

Neil May from Natural Building Technologies

Neil was an academic and a filmmaker before becoming a building labourer in 1988 for 4 years, and then setting up his own award winning ecological and conservation building company, Neil May Builders. In 1999 Neil set up Natural Building Technologies a company that sells and develops ecological building materials and systems for the mainstream construction industry in the UK. Neil is now Managing and Technical Director.

Neil speaks at 16:40 on

Mainstreaming Earth Building in the UK