A Complete Cob Cottage in Southeast Belgium this Summer (Aubange)!

THE PROJECT

 

 

 

The Belgium 5-Week Advanced Cob Certification students will be building a “Cob Arts Cottage” for the local community to experience the reality and nature of Cob, and come together for events in this locally-sourced edifice built and sculpted by hand!  The Cob Cottage is intended to have solar energy, rainwater collection and a rocket stove (or similar) to cook and heat the room with, thus creating a multifunctional space for various activities: from tiny house to art studio, to yoga retreat, to exhibition room, etc., depending on who is permanently or temporarily living in Aubange. It is important for us that this space functions as a self-sustaining system in order to be 100% conscious of energy and water consumption. We are excited to give our community a taste of this way of life by inviting them to experience the building.

The unique, sacred and soulful structure will be crafted, as always, from 12-15 pairs of loving muddy hands and feet from all walks of life, all backgrounds, and from far and near.  Starting with the “boots”, a stone foundation, to the “hat”, our trademark reciprocal green roof, we will cover everything in between!  Students leave full of inspiration, motivation, passion, empowerment and hunger for more.  Did we tell you that Cob is an addiction?  The best kind!  Once you go COB you never go back!

 

 

We will be building a 14m2/154ft2 round building (final size is always dependent on class number). The breathtaking reciprocal roof structure we build in all of our workshops is the strongest roof there is, due to its interlocking spiral structure which holds itself up with no outward pressure on the monolithic round wall of the building. In addition, it mirrors the horizontal social structure favored in indigenous societies, who meet under these types of roofs for community council circles, events & ceremonies.

Students in this Advanced Cobber Certification training will, as always, learn all the steps to building a complete Cob Building from scratch.  In week 1, we dig the rubble trench and fill it with a sturdy aesthetic stone foundation to support the wall and roof, and finish the week off by pouring the adobe/cob floor on a gravel base.  In weeks 2 & 3, we build the monolithic cob wall with all its detailed insertions like windows, niches, shelves, bottles, etc., and finish it with 1-2 days of relaxed sculpting.  In week 4 we plaster our beautifully-decorated and strong wall with an earthen mix followed by the first day of reciprocal roof installation.  In week 5 we wrap up the workshop by completing the roof structure and topping it with a green covering, and then finishing the wall and the second floor coat on the final Friday.

The 35-day Advanced Cob Building Workshop consists of 25 days (Monday through Friday) of learning & construction for 4 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon with theoretical instruction (lectures with graphics) on most Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons to complement the hands-on experience.

Students arrive on Sunday between noon and 2pm and settle in. The Workshop begins at 4pm and ends on a Sunday, 5 weeks later, after the morning Closing Circle & Brunch, around 2pm. Students can arrive a day or two before to acclimate and settle in (please let us know) but will need to cover their own food
 needs, unless a work trade or meal fee is approved by Host (to be decided closer to the date). The Opening Circle begins promptly at 4pm, followed by a Host Site Orientation at 5pm, Dinner at 6pm and an Introduction to the Project by the Instructors at 7pm.  We require that students arrive on Saturday or on Sunday by 2pm AT THE LATEST!!! We need to begin ALL TOGETHER, as the most important information for the success and smooth-running of the workshop and the well-being of the students will happen on Sunday between 4pm and 8:30pm.  It is very inconvenient for students, Host, Instructors and the group, when someone arrives late and misses any of the opening sessions.  Please be punctual because Monday morning at 9 am we begin digging the trench for our Cob Building and students need to be prepared and ready to go!!!!

 

 

Following Breakfast from 7:30-8:15am, the morning learning/building session begins at 8:30 am and lasts until 1pm with a 20-minute snack pause at 11am. Lunch break is from 1pm to 2:30pm, which includes a rest time before the 3-hour afternoon session begins, from 2:30pm-5:30pm. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays there is a 60-minute lecture at 2:30pm, followed by construction time. Tuesdays and Thursdays students begin building again right after the rest time. After class in the afternoon there is a 90-minute break before dinner (served from 7pm to 8pm), in which students are encouraged to stretch, do some type of relaxation/movement practice, go swimming, walking and just relax.

 

 

There is sometimes a work trade student officially or informally leading yoga and movement practice in the mornings or afternoons (depending on student preference). There will also be 3-4 evenings (once a week) after dinner for showing slides, videos and having Course-related discussions. Other evenings are mostly free and sometimes students offer informal courses in their specialties and passions. Tuesdays are reserved for our weekly Council Circle, where we do a deeper sharing and listening to attend to the inner worlds of our students, staff & Host(s) during this intense experience.

 

 

On weekends students are free to explore the area, rest onsite, and even continue building, to  use the kitchen.  Host and/or other students can carpool into town for weekend food provisions.

The 35-day Course will offer practical learning by building a complete 15m2 curvilinear building from foundation to roof, as 
described in the “Project” section. Those who complete the 35-day Workshop will receive an Advanced Cobber Certificate of Completion for Foundation, Cob Walls (which includes Door, Windows, Shelves, Art, Electrical Housing & Plumbing preparation), Floor, Plaster & Roof.

 

DAILY SCHEDULE

 

The daily schedule (subject to slight modifications due to climate/time of year) will be:

7:30-8:15 Breakfast

8:30-1:00 Class

1:00-2:30 Lunch

2:30-5:30 Class (Lecture on MWF’s)

5:30-7:00 Rest/Yoga

7:00-8:00 Dinner

8:00-9:00 Slides/Videos/Discussion (once a week)

Students are expected to be on time and participate in all sessions and required activities as the goal of building a full construction depends on the whole group working together!

 

COURSE CONTENTS

 

Students will learn every phase of building a cob building from foundation through the reciprocal roof in hands-on building and lectures/theory. In addition to the lectures,
slideshows and videos will be shown to support and enhance their understanding of cob materials, cob building, design, geography, budgeting, business options and legal issues.

Our hands-on practice will include:

digging foundation trench
pouring gravel and inserting drainage pipe (if applicable)
building foundation stemwall
analyzing soils and materials
making test bricks
deciding on correct mixture
deciding on best location
making cob w/ partner and solo
building with cob
preparing and inserting the door
preparing and inserting fixed and opening windows
preparing and inserting shelves
inserting bottle windows, glass and other objects
inserting electrical housing and outlet/switch boxes (when applicable)*
insert PVC pipe for plumbing in walls (when applicable)*
sculpting
preparing and applying earthen plaster (1 coat)
pouring an earthen floor (2 coats)
preparing walls for roof connection
building reciprocal roof frame
putting on roof sheathing and other elements
installing green roof
making small-scale cob designs of future projects, time permitting

In addition to Cob Building practices, the Course material
also includes:

legal cob construction practices & the international cob code (Appendix AU in the IRC)
cost analysis
creating a cob business (building/teaching)
assisting, interning and teaching with CruzinCobGlobal

*While the insertion of electrical housing and one or more outlet/switch boxes and PVC pipes to hold plumbing are always included in the workshops, the simplicity or complexity depends on the host’s design and preferences. There will be no electrical wiring or plumbing pipes installed during workshop. That is beyond the focus of this course and requires professional experience and certification/licensing.

 

REQUIREMENTS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 

Students will need to come prepared for demanding physical work from Day 1.

This includes bringing:

Work clothes appropriate for the country and climate we are in
Work boots or other closed-toe shoes (for foundation and roof)
Flip-flops (for cobbing/plaster days)
Rubber dishwashing gloves (for lime mortar)
Work Gloves (for stone work)
Tape Measure
Box Cutter
Wood Hand Saw (cheap)*
Level (2ft)*
Hammer*
Japanese plastering trowel(s) (email:goldhillclayplaster@gmail.com)
Ear Plugs (roof week)
Safety Glasses
Wood Chisel*
4”-6” Diameter Round Plastic Container Lids (for plastering)
Good Moisturizer
Hat
Sunglasses
Water Bottle
Notebook/Pen/Camera
Carpenter Pencil & Sharpener
Sample of your Soil (optional)

Any other power tools like circular saw, grinder with metal blade, cordless drill, chop saw, extra hammers, trowels, saws, levels…will be very welcome if you have them and are driving in.  Some students fly in with only carry-on luggage and can’t bring some of these tools.

*These tools will be very helpful to bring if you can, to minimize sharing and waiting, but if you can’t, the Host will provide them.

 

***PLEASE READ THIS VERY IMPORTANT INFO!!!***

 

 

 

These workshops are designed for people that want to learn how to build a complete structure from start to finish in a professional manner and efficient amount of time. They are VERY intensive and, while there is time for yoga, stretching, dancing, music, relaxing….ALL students are expected to be present and participating in all building and lecture learning hours unless absolutely incapable due to illness or have some other significant/emergency reason. This is because we design the size of the building
 and organize the structure of the workshop in accordance with the number of students and when people are absent, it impacts the whole group and the other students have to work harder and it disturbs the integrity of the group. It takes the whole village to see the building through from start to finish!  In addition, Instructors set up building work according to students’ strengths and learning needs.  In short, if you don’t feel that you will be able to be present every day for every session, please re-think your readiness for our Advanced Training.  We attract serious and highly-motivated students so if that’s you, you will be surrounded by others with the same desire to learn and build!  If you are not sure that it’s the right fit, please contact Claudine to schedule a call to see.

 

 

We need and depend on everyone’s full participation in each day of the workshop.  This is a total group effort on all levels:  physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically.. If someone must be physically absent from the site and lectures due to illness or other urgency for more than one full day, they will need to make up the days missed in a subsequent workshop to receive the Certificate (only paying food costs).  If physically injured or ill and capable, it is requested students be present at the site and for lecture and other required evening activities, so as to not miss out on information and keep learning by observation, and thus still qualify for the Certificate.

 

 

The workshop intensity changes from week 1 to week 5 with the focus of the week. The first foundation week breaks people in with the work of moving, lifting, rolling and placing rocks and is a new and demanding physical and mental experience for most students. It also includes 
the first layers and coat of cob floor. The second week and part of the third week of cob-making and building are similar to the rock foundation week in physical demand, but are more flowing, multi-faceted and cardiovascular in movement. On Thursday & Friday of week 3, the workshop takes a turn and slows down and the body can rest as students their creative source now  and design and sculpt the walls and around niches, shelves, windows, etc.  This is a very special rewarding

 

 

experience and time of the workshop, decorating the walls with visual beauty and meaning as expressed by each unique student.  Usually there is an overarching theme decided on by Host(s).  Plastering follows sculpting and is also an enjoyable more lightweight physical experience, that lends itself to talking and sharing at the wall in a meditative rhythm as the students have bonded and shared deeply through a variety of experiences for a month. On day 5 of week 4, the roof begins.  This part is the beginning of a change of pace from the earthen building work to carpentry skills, power tools, measuring, sawing, drilling, hammering, screwing, trimming, etc. But now the workshop is in its final stretch and there is a boost of energy to wrap up the roof, close the top of the wall, and tend to finishing touches….the grand finale.

For students wanting a more mellow slow-paced cob experience, along with time for personal exploration and experimentation following their own rhythm, these workshops are not for you! However, you can find a more suitable workshop online with other organizations that offer a
 shorter period, building a garden wall, a bench, a compost toilet or some other smaller scale project.

Students are required to read “The Hand-Sculpted House” and “Essential Cob Construction” (see website Resources page) before the workshop begins, and any other books they find or are listed on our Resources page, ideally on plastering and reciprocal roof building.  We ask that you watch the many videos on our our “International Cob Workshop” playlist on Claudine’s YouTube channel, the new educational YouTube series “Building a Mud Home” by Cooper Green, posted by Natural Buildings and created from our North Carolina workshop footage, and the ones posted on CruzinCobGlobal’s website under Gallery, to get an idea of what is expected. Also it is a great idea to watch as many other videos on cob and reciprocal roofs as you can to come mentally prepared. Please bring your book(s).

 

 

Students must tend to their own personal needs, drink alot of water, rest when needed and exert themselves at a steady pace. Students who cannot do the strenuous physical work should let us know when registering, so we can make sure the workshop is a good fit. If approved before the workshop begins, we will aim to adjust appropriately. There is alot to do to support making and building with cob while respecting your physical limitations!!!

 

 

Finally, please bring a watch or use your phone to be prompt and ready for each part of the Course including meals. Please make sure you share your dietary restrictions/allergies with CCG in your registration form. Note that very demanding dietary needs will not be
 able to be met (vegan & non-gluten ok) and those students may be recommended not to participate, unless they are willing to meet their special needs on their own, which will not include kitchen access on weekdays. Please discuss with Claudine at time of desire to register. Also please bring your essential snacks and foods, pillow and whatever you NEED to be comfortable and happy. Feel free to also bring playlists, speaker, slides, videos,
movies and books to share, as well as a sample of your soil to test.

We look forward to opening you to a whole new world of experience, skill, growth and transformation as you bond with your new COB family for life!

 

NICOLAS PIMENTEL

Cob Instructor & Master Cobber

 

I was born and raised in Santiago, Chile, and had a childhood deeply connected to the arts and nature. From an early age, I felt a strong curiosity to travel and learn about other cultures, people, and places. During my university years as an architecture student, I went to study in Porto, Portugal in my final year. There, I first encountered the idea of natural building while attending a conference in Prague. After this brief introduction to theoretical knowledge, I wanted to get hands-on experience.  In 2017, while searching online, I found a CruzinCobGlobal workshop taught by Claudine in the Azores Islands, and that was the beginning of this amazing journey of fascination with and passion for Earthen Building, as well as a great, long friendship with Claudine. After spending a long time on the islands, I returned to Chile to receive my degree in architecture. I also went to Colorado to assist in a CCG workshop lead by Claudine, and then assisted & co-taught 2 CCG workshops in Chile.

I also learned other natural building techniques at TIBÁ in Brazil, and continued working independently in Chile, where I built my first light straw clay house in southern Chile.  This is when I eventually settled in the northern Patagonian mountain town of Pucón, where I co-founded my architecture studio, PIWA.  My focus is designing homes in rural areas, integrating bioconstruction and bioarchitecture techniques. Parallel to this, I returned to the Azores Islands to teach a light clay straw workshop on Claudine’s land in 2021 and a Complete Full Build Workshop in 2023.

My motivation to keep learning has never waned, and this drive took me to Marrakech to learn Tadelakt from ancient masters. I also constantly return to books to learn more about various techniques and experiment with them.  In 2024, I began teaching online workshops as well as in-person workshops on earthen plasters in southern Portugal and southern Chile.

Currently, I work as an architect in my own studio, mainly designing in southern Chile. I am also co-founder of a conservation project called Jungla Peumayen, located in the central region’s mountains, where we focus on the conservation of flora and fauna, conducting rewilding efforts by reinserting wild animals, among other activities. I also co-founded Kalina, a creative space in nature located in northern Patagonia, where I reside and am currently building my second light straw clay home.

I love teaching these techniques and learning from other students. I believe every interaction is an opportunity for learning, and bringing earthen building to new environments and professionalizing it is a crucial task in contributing to this paradigm shift. The earth has built me and I am constantly growing and learning from it!

 

ZOE VERBAANT

Cob Assistant

 

 

Hi! I’m Zoë, 34, from the Netherlands, and currently I live wherever I lay my head down. I have always been very passionate about the world, nature, humanity, and how everything is related. As a child I would philosophy about these topics. I was fascinated with indigenous tribal peoples living exclusively of the land they walk on. I dreamed of living like that too, in a house made of bamboo, or mud, that I’d built myself.

Growing up, I ‘did life’ differently than the people around me, trying to follow my passions. I eventually studied ecology, nature and wildlife management, dreaming to contribute to conservation of primary ecosystems. I’d travel everytime I had managed to save up with waitress jobs. Not only because I love exploring every corner of the world, also because of my strong need to put my energy into conservation related projects. Through these endeavours I eventually

 

 

ended up volunteering at a place in Spain, in 2015, where 2 elderly people were re-designing their lifestyle to a more connected life, and that included natural building – restoring the ruined dry stone wall buildings.

I loved doing that, and in 2017 I joined a massive earth bag build in Australia, that also incorporated rammed earth walls and a cob oven. It was a very beautiful holistic experience. And somehow it felt as though I had built like it before. A puzzle piece fell in place.. From then on, in my travels I would often look for opportunities to build, restore or beautify people’s homes, slowly learning more, gaining skills, growing as a person and feeding my soul. I’ve been interested in all the different possibilities within the concept of natural building…. and there are many.

Besides the above, I worked on 2 hempcrete builds in the Netherlands, a round timber frame gazebo with reciprocal green roof in France, restoring an old wattle/daub Tudor house in Germany, a Cob roundhouse in Spain. And a month ago a mud brick house in Thailand. I have done several plastering and paint jobs here and there, using earthen and lime mixes. Adding to that I have done some small works, learning about slip straw, pallet cob, sgraffito and other plaster murals, tadelakt and building rocket mass heaters.

 

 

I joined the CruzinCobGlobal Cob house and Oven & Bench workshop, on São Miguel in 2023. I really wanted a start to finish experience, combining all the techniques involved. It gave me a big boost in my building skills and I made great friendships. 
Moving on from there I felt confident I could have a go at designing and teaching building, which I did in Tanzania. We made a gazebo style classroom with coral rock, earth and wood. 
After I complete a very exciting journey of sharing the knowledge, through CruzinCobGlobal, in Kenya, alongside Claudine, I am looking forward to assisting my Cob Instructor Nicolas Pimentel in Belgium!

 

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS

 

We will serve three meals a day from Monday through Friday including the Welcome and Celebration Dinners and Farewell Brunch.  Weekends students will be on their own for food and may use the onsite kitchen.  Meals will be  vegetarian and locally-based as much as possible, including farm produce and eggs! Carnivores & pescatarians & omnivores will, if desired, be offered non-vegetarian options of meals a few times a week and/or supplemented with canned fish, dried meats, cold cuts. They are also welcome to buy or bring their own supplements.

We will attend to vegan and gluten-free diets if needed, but any other restrictions & allergies that require extensive preparation needs, will probably not be able to be honored, and kitchen will only be accessible on weekends for students.

Camping with your own tent and bedding is free. Students at this workshop are also welcome to rent a bed in a 4-person shared room in the main house for 5€/night o 175€ for the 35-day workshop.   Otherwise, please bring a good tent and warm sleeping bag, pad, pillow and blanket just in case… or camping hammock.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

Students can fly in to Charleroi airport (CRL) in Brussels  or Strasbourg (SXB), France or Luxembourg (LUX) and take public transportation to Aubange.  Trains, buses, BlaBlaCar are all European options for arriving as well.  More info will be provided in the Welcome Letter on other options for arriving, including carpooling with European students driving in.  We will create a Whatsapp group one month out, so students can organize rides & transport together.

 

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT

 

Very Early Bird Rate: 2400€, paid in full by April 6th, 2025

Early Bird Rate: 2500€, paid in full by May 6th, 2025

Standard Rate: 2600€, paid in full by June 6th, 2025

We are offering 4 work trade positions which give you a 250€ discount for working one hour each weekday from 6:30am to 7:30am either on the site prepping materials and other work as guided by the Instructors or preparing & putting away breakfast. Two persons for each service.  These are the first options to go. Depending on when you pay in full, the discount is taken off the appropriate amount.

For US residents, payment can be made using Zelle, Paypal and  Venmo to claudinedesiree@gmail.com. Europeans and other international students can pay using the Wise app/website using same email or the following IBAN:  BE44 9673 1046 6145.  We are happy to send you an invite to Wise which gives you a free first transfer of 500€.

Please contact claudine@cruzincobglobal.org or Whatsapp +1(831) 212-7225 to register and ask any questions.

To hold your spot (there are 12 for new students and 3 for returning students), you can make a 50% deposit.  The balance owed depends on the date of payment in full. Final payment deadline is June 6th, 2025.

 

CANCELLATION POLICY

 

Students who have paid and cancel by April 6th, 2025 can get a full refund minus a 5% administrative/inconvenience fee on the amount they have paid.

Students who have paid and cancel by May 6th, 2025 will receive a credit for a future workshop within two years minus a 10% administrative/inconvenience fee.

Students who have paid and cancel after May 6th, 2025 will not receive a refund or credit unless they have proof of an emergency situation or other reason out of their control, in which case they will receive a credit for two years minus the 10% admin fee.

SEE YOU IN THE MUUUUUUD!