Workshops

[ September 12, 2010; ] Come join us as we learn to build with cob, an age-old natural building technique with simple materials such as clay, sand, and straw. The emphasis will be on hands-on learning as we mix cob and earthen plaster, and provide you with the skills to build an oven in your own backyard. Class will [...]

[ October 10, 2010 to October 17, 2010. ] Building the Village of Hope
Natural building workshop
October 10-17 2010
Ecoart and the Ecological Institute of Greece invite you at Elpidochori village in Argolis, to experience a creative as well as educating week of community living focused on building using natural material. During this intensive workshop, we will focus on constructions made of straw bale and cob [...]

[ October 9, 2010 to October 17, 2010. ] As you have all requested, we have added one last Complete Cob Course for the 2010 year. This special workshop will be held at our Partner location in Point Arena California in beautiful sunny Mendicino County at the Mobert complex.
This is the most comprehensive cob course available in North America. In the past 15 [...]

[ August 16, 2010 to August 20, 2010. ] Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture, based in Kykotsmovi Village, AZ will be hosting a Cob work week on August 16-20, 2010. This week we will finish cob wall systems for a home in Kykotsmovi Village. This is a great opportunity for those interested in learning about cob building. Home being built right next to finished cob dwelling. [...]

[ October 9, 2010; ] Give your home a “natural make-over” with beautiful earthen plasters. Earthen plasters are non-toxic, easy to make, and can be applied to almost any surface including sheet rock and plywood. This introduction will give you tips and inspiration for getting started on your own project.

[ October 23, 2010; ] Earthen floors are beautiful, non-toxic, durable, and can be installed almost anywhere. Whether you’re a home-owner or a contractor, this course will teach you what you need to know to get started.

[ November 6, 2010; November 13, 2010; ] Make your own efficient, elegant, and affordable wood-fired heater. Instructors Ernie and Erica share their extensive experience researching, building, and living with earthen masonry stoves.

[ September 18, 2010 to September 25, 2010. ] Learn to create “functional art” in your own back yard! These elegant ovens make a beautiful showpiece and will turn out delicious pizzas that will make you the envy of your neighborhood.

[ August 14, 2010 to August 15, 2010. ] We will be holding a pallet/straw-clay workshop, this will show you how to build a simple pallet tiny house then infill it with straw-clay.

We will go over foundation possibilities, how to find, fasten and secure your pallet structure, building door and window frames as well as deciding the type of roof that best suits your [...]

[ August 14, 2010 to August 15, 2010. August 21, 2010 to August 22, 2010. ] Natural Building Weekend Workshops
Crow, OR (18 min from Eugene)

Aug. 14 & 15, 2010

The first weekend includes 2 full days of learning and developing Natural Building skills in a hands-on setting, working on a real building!

We will cover: -Structural cob and cob infill techniques
-Straw-flake infill for insulation
-Earthen architecture forms and details

Aug. 21 & 22, 2010

The [...]

[ September 18, 2010; ]

During this workshop we will learn about the way an earthen mass oven works, how to choose the right ingredients for your cob, and ‘learn by doing’ as we build a cob oven:

- Lay firebricks
- Build a form
- Mix fire cob & regular cob
- Build cob layers of oven
- Build the door

[ September 11, 2010; ]

During this workshop we will learn how to build an earth friendly, lime mortared foundation, how to prepare the site, and ‘learn by doing’ as we build a foundation:

- Gather Stones
- Prep Foundation Stones
- Slake Lime
- Make Lime Mortar
- Build Lime mortar foundation

[ August 12, 2010 to August 14, 2010. ] In this weekend workshop you will learn all the skills necessary to build yourself an affordable, practical and productive wood-fired oven.

* Basics of making and laying adobe bricks
* Construction of a vaulted arch
* Principles of building for fire
* Develop basic natural building intuition

[ July 31, 2010; 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. ] 10 am-3 pm

Kylara Miene has been studying cob while teaching in Baltimore city public schools and has left the teaching life to further her knowledge and practice her cob-making skills building a house out of it in Virginia. During her brief return to Maryland before setting out for Canada, she is willing to share [...]

[ September 4, 2010 to September 5, 2010. ]

►Learn to Build Load Bearing Cob Walls
►Sculpt Niches and Build Furniture
►Work with Natural Plasters & Pigments
$189 includes registration, camping & meals. Children 10 & under half price. $118 – 30 days advance pay.

Sept 4 & 5, 2010

Building cob walls
During this part of the workshop we will learn how to build cob walls strong enough to [...]