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Strawbale courses Cob courses Timber frame courses earthbag courses cordwood courses adobe courses rammed earth courses earthship courses sustainable energy courses Sustainable water courses Natural roofing courses Clay and lime plastering courses Other natural homes courses
 
  
May 9

Introduction to Natural Building

Experience a paradigm shift by stepping through a doorway of building in the Pacific Northwest using local, abundant materials that are also economical and practical. By using clay, sand and straw, explore ways of building wall systems, plasters, earthen floors and more.

Ancient Earth
Whidbey Island, WA,
USA

$60
USD
May
9-10

Concrete-free posts

For more details follow the links and/or contact Rose at: redweed@telus.net

Mud Girls
Nanaimo, BC,
Canada
$125
USD

May
18-24 & 25-31

Natural building Workshop

You will literally collect the wood (locally grown Douglas fir trees) hemp and lime and get to work. The roof is designed to collect rain water to water the herb and veggie garden which surround the lodge; water is heated by solar collectors; the windows face south for passive solar heating; natural paint pigments add gentle colour tones to help blend into the surrounding nature. Each lodge will be equipped with cooking facilities and solar lighting. Workshops will run for one week with plenty of time to enjoy all the Art Farm has to offer, to simply ‘be’ in the nature or to explore the local region, vineyards, rock climbing the local markets. Accommodation and food are included in this course. A course lead by the man who built this:

Art Farm
Saint Laurent Sous Coiron, France


£495

May 30
Jun 7

Natural building techniques

Help create a sleeping pod on a strawbale roundhouse. Learning: simple timber framing, shingles, composite woods stone, cordwood, cob, strawbale, limewash. Price includes vegetarian food and camping or basic strawbale domitory. Contact Richard or Staci on +44 (0)1267 275960

Gwendraeth Environmental Education
Blaen Y Wern Wood,
Llangyndeyrn,
Nr Carmarthen, Wales

£200

May 30
Jun 7

Natural building techniques

Help create a sleeping pod on a strawbale roundhouse. Learning: simple timber framing, shingles, composite woods stone, cordwood, cob, strawbale, limewash. Price includes vegetarian food and camping or basic strawbale domitory. Contact Richard or Staci on +44 (0)1267 275960

Gwendraeth Environmental Education
Blaen Y Wern Wood,
Llangyndeyrn,
Nr Carmarthen, Wales

£200
June
6-7

Dry-stack foundation

For more details follow the links and/or contact Rose at: redweed@telus.net

Mud Girls
Nanaimo, BC,
Canada
$125
USD
June
13

Working with Natural Building Materials

After studying and testing samples of useful building components such as sand and soil, participants will create models using the natural techniques of cob, straw bale, slip straw, wattle and daub, and others. That small outbuilding, garden shed or meditation sanctuary may not be as far off as you thought!

Ancient Earth
Whidbey Island, WA,
USA

$60
USD
June 20-21

Slip Straw & Hempcrete Workshop

During this one day hands-on workshop we’ll mix and install both slip straw and hempcrete into existing stud wall cavities. We’ll look at sourcing materials, mixing methods, creating and using forms and installing the materials to create solid, well-insulated and air-tight walls.

Wholearth
Hastings, ON,
Canada
$325 CND
June
20-27

Comprehensive Cottage Construction Course

Join us this Summer as we build a small cottage in the woods designed to demonstrate a wide range of natural building techniques. Over eight days you will learn how to build with cob, straw bales, lights-straw-clay, adobe, and poles. You will also have the opportunity to use earthen plasters. Lectures, discussions and demonstrations will focus on passive solar design, alternative energy, foundations, living roofs, load-bearing and non-load-bearing construction, cob ovens, and much more. We will also tour several finished natural homes.

White Oak Fram
Williams, OR, USA
$640
USD
July
23-26

Building As If People Mattered

The natural building movement brings back to our awareness what we have given up in that process: the personal investment in building one's home, the expectation of a building that is to scale with human need rather than want, the respect for people and place. Join us for a weekend of discussion, demonstrations and connection and explore together what is possible. We invite you to send proposals for presentations. Bring digital images of your recent work and we’ll create an evening of showcasing our work.

O.U.R. ECOVILLAGE
Vancouver Island, Canada
$300 CND
July 26
Aug 2

Natural Building Intensive

This comprehensive workshop will give you hands-on experience in up to 10 different natural building techniques including cob, straw bale, slipstraw or light straw-clay, slip-and-chip, clay wattle, earthen plasters, hand-made paints, and more. The workshop aims to familiarize students with the basic family of natural building materials. At least half of each day is spent in hands-on building with a high ratio of experienced instructors. Lectures and discussions cover passive solar and other design principles for energy-efficient, compact natural homes. There will also be an extensive tour of the most complete natural building demonstration site on the West Coast, with an emphasis on ecological materials harvesting, off-grid electrical generation, greywater reclamation, composting toilets, and more.

Emerald Earth
Boonville CA,
USA
$760
USD
Aug
8-15

Comprehensive Cottage Construction Course

Join us this Summer as we build a small cottage in the woods designed to demonstrate a wide range of natural building techniques. Over eight days you will learn how to build with cob, straw bales, lights-straw-clay, adobe, and poles. You will also have the opportunity to use earthen plasters. Lectures, discussions and demonstrations will focus on passive solar design, alternative energy, foundations, living roofs, load-bearing and non-load-bearing construction, cob ovens, and much more. We will also tour several finished natural homes.

White Oak Fram
Williams, OR, USA
$640
USD
Aug 31
Oct 9

Natural Building Training

Gain hands-on natural building skills in adobe, cob, bamboo, earthen plasters & paints, living roofs, passive solar design and more. Learn how to do it for real with expert guidance... This six-week training offers a comprehensive start-to-finish immersion in the art of natural building.

Kleiwerks
Asheville, North Carolina, USA
$2,800
USD
Sept
13-20

Natural Building Intensive

This comprehensive workshop will give you hands-on experience in up to 10 different natural building techniques including cob, straw bale, slipstraw or light straw-clay, slip-and-chip, clay wattle, earthen plasters, hand-made paints, and more. The workshop aims to familiarize students with the basic family of natural building materials. At least half of each day is spent in hands-on building with a high ratio of experienced instructors. Lectures and discussions cover passive solar and other design principles for energy-efficient, compact natural homes. There will also be an extensive tour of the most complete natural building demonstration site on the West Coast, with an emphasis on ecological materials harvesting, off-grid electrical generation, greywater reclamation, composting toilets, and more.

Emerald Earth
Boonville CA,
USA
$760
USD
Sept
14-26

Natural Building Design/Build Intensive

In this intensive two-week workshop students will experience a full-spectrum natural building project that they assist in designing and developing for our hosts at the Art Farm. We'll spend the first few days thoroughly analyzing our host site, getting to know the climate, topography, water movement and availability, land use patterns and available natural materials while concurrently exploring the building and structural needs of our hosts. With this information, we'll participate in a group design intensive, developing an ecological building design that is appropriately suited to these parameters.The remainder of the course (approximately ten days) will be spent building our collective design using locally available, natural materials including stone, clay, sand, fiber, wood and more.

Seven Generations Natural Builders
Saint Laurent Sous Coiron, France
£595
GBP/week
Sept
25-27

Rocket Mass Heaters

Ianto Evans will be teaching with help from otehr pyromaniacs. He has over 30 years experience with stove design (see Lorena Stoves, 1980). We'll build one (or more) Rocket Mass Heaters, cover basics of combustion, fuels, etc. and light a lot of fires. These stoves are easy to build with scavenged materials, offering maximal efficiency at minimal cost. Many cob builders install rocket bench heaters, piping their stove through a cob bench or bed, making a cozy place to hang out in the winter months. We'll explore firewood, fuels and other aspects of combustion, comfort, and heating our bodies not buildings. Join us for lots of fun by the fire.

Cob Cottage
Coquille, OR,
USA
$240
USD
       
  Courses you've missed in 2009 but they are keep here so that you can browse around the various organisations    
       
April
25-26

Cob Rumford outdoor fireplace

We willl build an outdoor Rumford fireplace and garden wall using natural and recycled materials.

Building Traditions
Blasiusstraat 102,
Amsterdam

€175
       
  Courses you've missed in 2008 but they are keep here so that you can browse around the various organisations    
       
Jan
3-20
Design/Build in the Dominican Republic - The class will work with local materials that are environmentally appropriate. The goals of the class are to bring students through the design/build progression showing how the designing and building process continually inform each other throughout the project. This class will take place in a rural part of the Dominican Republic; the lodging will be rustic: sleeping in tents on the beach, limited or no electricity, lots of nature, and tons of hard work. It will be the experience of a lifetime.

Yestermorrow
Dominican Republic
$2,275
USD
Jan
13-18
Sustainable Communities of the Future - This one week course will be an intensive analysis of the essential aspects of sustainable communities including location, energy sources, transportation and social implications. The course will develop three community designs at once; students will self-select a focus for the last two days and present solutions for review.

Yestermorrow
Warren, VT, USA
$750
USD
Feb
10-15
Ecological Planning, Design and Construction - This course will explore the broad range of issues of what is variously called ecological, green, environmental, and sustainable design. Through lectures, seminars, field trips and a design charette we will develop a framework for understanding the issues and making value-based design decisions.

Yestermorrow
Warren, VT, USA
$750
USD
Feb
17-29
Ecological Design/Build Costa Rica - This class will work with top environmentalists, construction designers and watershed experts to help design a 21 st Century “green” community and garden for the tropics. Pueblo Verde is a 25-acre green residential development within a 500-acre reforestation preserve in Paraiso, Costa Rica. The class will evaluate and design a site plan for the second phase of Pueblo Verde. Participants will generate a master plan based on ecological constraints and sustainable design principles.

Yestermorrow
Costa Rica
$2,000
USD
Mar
9-21
Natural Building in Costa Rica - This innovative course in the rainforest of Costa Rica provides students with a unique opportunity to explore the design/build process using earth, straw, cob, stone, site-milled wood, bamboo, and recycled/reused materials. The class will work on a group project at the Rancho Mastatal environmental learning center or a small community project in the village of Mastatal. Students will have the chance to collaborate on a variety of design assignments.

Yestermorrow
Costa Rica
$2,000
USD
30 Mar - Apr 13 Las Hormigas Kitchen and Day Care Project - includes instruction, meals, housing and transportation to and from the border. We will be rehabilitating an existing structure by building a pallet truss roof system with better insulation and weather protection, light straw-clay stuffed pallet walls, and a bio-remediation system to recycle kitchen water. We may also be including a composting toilet component and a swale system for storm-water collection at the back of the property depending on group interest, number of participants and building schedule. There will be hands-on learning and plenty of time for questions. We will have an immersion components to better understand the Anapra context within which we work. This is Part One of a series of projects to update this property with sustainable and natural technologies with better comfort and utility for Las Hormigas, a social work agency in Anapra. Contact us at info@worldhandsproject.org or Alfred von Bachmayr 505.989.7000 to request more information.

World Hands Project
Anapra, Mexico
near Ciudad Juarez

$600/wk or $1100/2 wks

USD

May
16-18
Hogan building workshop Ref:Hogan

Contact Paulina on Tel: +44 (0)1932 352129

Earth Hands and Houses
Warsaw, Poland

€100
June
11-13

Building with Cob, wattle & daub - Building with Cob, wattle & daub, adobe, clay plastering and sculpting, straw/clay as insulation for new or existing buildings (learning how to insulate your existing house or barn using just straw and clay). Building thin internal walls and partitions ( can be as thin as 1cm) using straw, clay and other fibres.

Contact Paulina on Tel: +44 (0)1932 352129

Earth Hands and Houses
Near lake Hancza, North East Poland

€100
June
14-15

Cordwood and rammed earth building workshop

Contact Paulina on Tel: +44 (0)1932 352129

Earth Hands and Houses
Near lake Hancza, North East Poland

€100
June 23-30 Comprehensive Cottage Construction Course - Over eight days you will learn how to build with cob, straw bales, lights-straw-clay, adobe, cordwood and poles. You will also have the opportunity to use earthen plasters and clay paints. Lectures, discussions and demonstrations will focus on passive solar design, alternative energy, foundations, living roofs, load-bearing and non-load-bearing construction, cob ovens, and much more. We will also tour several finished natural homes.

White Oak Farm
Williams, OR, USA
$600 USD
June 28-29 Building with Bamboo - As wood becomes scarcer and energy costs skyrocket, bamboo is becoming more and more valued as a cheap, easy, renewable, and accessible building material. It is one of the fastest growing plants on the earth, adaptable, beautiful, easy to harvest, alternately flexible or stiff, and extremely strong.

Solarliving
Hopland, CA, USA
$190
June 28 -
July 5
Comprehensive Cottage Construction - In this workshop you will learn how to build a hybrid cob-strawbale structure. These eight days include all of the 'Basics of Cob Building' workshop material. In addition to cob basics and practice, you will pour an earthen floor, construct a straw bale wall, discuss passive solar energy design principles, and tour a finished naturally built home. Participants will also receive detailed instruction on naturally built small cottage construction from laying the foundation to application of a living roof.

Cob Together
White Oak Farm, Williams Valley, Oregon, USA
$640
USD
June
29-30
Foundation (Rammed earth car tyre) - This course involves building the foundation for a Strawbale, Passive solar design, made of two semi-circles with different radii. The building will include: tyre foundations, living sedum roof, free rain water systems run by solar/wind power, compost toilets and reed bed drainage. Internally, there will be two bedrooms, kitchen, living room/conservatory and bathroom, within 85sqm. Saffron's plot is approx. 70mx70m, situated next to a site of scientific interest, with beautiful sea views, located on East Yorkshire coast.

Amazonails
Skipsea, East Yorkshire, UK

£80- £160

July
12-13

Earthen Floors - Want to learn to create truly sustainable floors that will impress all who walk on them? This hands-on workshop is for you. Rich in color and feel, earthen floors are easy to clean, durable, and inexpensive. Using different techniques and materials, we will create and apply floor mixes for sub-floor and finish layers. Instruction will also cover material selection, tools, variations, and oiling options.

Vegetarian meals and overnight camping in a beautiful setting above the Columbia River Gorge. Email: bernhard_masterson @hotmail.com or call 503-929-8583. Additional information and registration materials will then be sent to you.

Natural Building Network
Appleton, Washington, USA
$190 USD
July
18-20
building with hemp - This course will give a general introduction to natural building and reviews the various alternatives available. It will then focus on building with hemp based materials.

LILI
Winslow, Buckinghamshire, UK

£130 - £190
July 20-23 Introduction to Natural Building - Mixing and building with cob, stuffing light-straw-clay, and making and applying earthen plasters. Lectures and discussions will also cover: straw bale building, design basics, foundations, roofs, and more. We will have the opportunity to tour a hybrid pole frame-straw bale-cob home, a straw bale-cob sauna, and a cob oven. Participants will walk away from this weekend with the techniques and principles needed to begin building with natural materials.

White Oak Farm
Williams, OR, USA
$300 USD
Aug
18-23

Natural Building Intensive - Learn how to build your own beautiful, inexpensive, and energy-efficient home with non-toxic local materials such as clay, straw, and unmilled wood. This comprehensive natural building workshop covers site analysis, passive solar principles, and energy efficient hybrid design. You will get hands-on experience in up to 10 different techniques, which may include straw bale, cob, straw-clay, and wattle-and-daub; round pole framing; alternative foundations; earth and lime plasters; home-made paints; and adobe floors. Instructor: Michael G. Smith

Emerald Earth
Boonville, CA, USA
$550 USD
Aug
23-24

Earthen Oven - Would you like to connect to your cooking in a more profound way? We will build a permanent earthen oven and a small temporary oven to bake in right away. Design principals and variations will be presented. Learn how to ensure clean combustion and efficient use of wood. Get baking tips on how to get the most out of an earthen oven.

Vegetarian meals and overnight camping in a beautiful setting above the Columbia River Gorge. Email: bernhard_masterson @hotmail.com or call 503-929-8583. Additional information and registration materials will then be sent to you.

Natural Building Network
Appleton, Washington, USA
$190 USD
Sept
8-13
Natural Building Intensive - Get ready to play with mud! This six-day workshop is perfect for homeowners, commercial property owners, and contractors who wish to explore the full scope of natural building techniques and materials. In this hands-on, intensive setting, you will learn the basic skills you need to help you design and construct your own natural building.

Solarliving
Hopland, CA, USA
$600
Sept
12-14
cordwood, clay plastering and green roof workshop

Contact Paulina on Tel: +44 (0)1932 352129

Earth Hands and Houses
Warsaw, Poland

€100
Sept
17-18

PyromaniaThis course will teach you how to build Rocket Stoves and Rumford Fireplaces. They are among the most efficient wood burning stoves and fireplaces ever devised, and they can be built for very little or even no money using discarded materials. You will learn how they work, basics of combustion, fuels, etc. For more information on rocket stoves as well as photos, please visit: rocketstoves.com. Tutor: Ianto Evans. Ianto is renowned throughout the world for his inspirational workshops.

The Hollies
Sli an Uisce,
Macroom, Co. Cork
Ireland

€950
Sept
19-21
Green Building a Systems Approach - An overview of green building. In this course, we’ll explore all aspects of green building including site selection, site protection, green building materials, energy efficiency, renewable energy, water efficiency, rain catchment, capturing and utilizing waste water, advanced framing, recycling and reusing waste from building sites, indoor air quality, site reclamation, the costs of green building, and sustainable communities. We’ll spend a part of each day designing green homes and green communities.

University of Colorado
Boulder, CO, USA


$440
USD
Sept 27
Build Your Own Earth Oven - Learn to build an earth oven in your backyard for less than $100 using simple, healthy materials including clay, sand, straw and bricks. Wood-fired, retained-heat ovens have been used throughout the ages and around the world, and are still prized by artisan bakers today for making the finest bread and pizza. This hands (and feet!)-on workshop is a great introduction to sculptural earthen building for adults and kids alike. During breaks in the construction of the oven, we'll discuss how to find and test clay as a building material and how to heat and bake in the oven efficiently.

Emerald Earth
Boonville, CA, USA
$75
USD
Oct
6-8
Natural building technologies - An overview of Natural building technologies such as: straw bale building, cordwood and earthbag building

Contact Paulina on Tel: +44 (0)1932 352129

Earth Hands and Houses
Warsaw, Poland

€100
Oct
10-12
Cob, wattle & daub - Cob, wattle and daub, earth plastering, sculpting, straw/clay as insulation for new or existing buildings (learning how to insulate your existing house or barn using just straw and clay)

Contact Paulina on Tel: +44 (0)1932 352129

Earth Hands and Houses
Warsaw, Poland

€100
eco-holidays