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.

Concrete-free posts

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

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

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

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

Dry-stack foundation

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Rumford outdoor fireplace

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

Building Traditions
Blasiusstraat 102,
Amsterdam

World Hands Project
Anapra, Mexico
near Ciudad Juarez

$600/wk or $1100/2 wks

USD

Earth Hands and Houses
Warsaw, Poland

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

Cordwood and rammed earth building workshop

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

Earth Hands and Houses
Near lake Hancza, North East Poland

Amazonails
Skipsea, East Yorkshire, UK

£80- £160

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 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

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.

Earth Hands and Houses
Warsaw, Poland

Pyromania – This 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

Earth Hands and Houses
Warsaw, Poland

Earth Hands and Houses
Warsaw, Poland