COB OVEN + BENCH | INTENSIVE | CORUCHE, PORTUGAL

Join us for a theoretical and hands-on workshop focusing on earthen building through the technique of cob. In this 7-day intensive workshop, we will build a complete cob oven with a built-in cob bench and working table.

In this certified workshop, you’ll learn how to analyze and stabilize clay-soil mixtures for earthen building, exploring the principles of cob as a building technique. Through this hands-on experience, you will build a full cob oven—from foundations to finish plasters—and a cob bench.

The aim is to equip students with the knowledge and tools to test and analyze clay soils, and to understand each step involved in building a cob oven and a sculpted cob bench. We will have 70% hands-on practice and 30% theoretical learning, diving into different natural building techniques, everything about cob ovens, stone-foundation principles, the benefits of earthen building, how to prepare and apply earthen plasters, how to sculpt with cob, and much more!

Once the workshop is completed, you will have the skills to build your own cob oven, and you will also be able to begin building your own earthen walls for your projects.

THE PLACE

COURSE DETAILS

What is a cob oven?

It is a traditional oven built with a mixture of clay, sand, straw, and water. Its operation is based on the retention and gradual release of heat by its thick earthen walls. These ovens are known for their high heat-retention efficiency, reaching very high temperatures, where the heat cooks food through three physical mechanisms: radiation – heat from the fire and the hot walls toward the food, convection – hot air circulating inside the oven, and conduction – the direct transfer of heat from the hot surface to the food (the oven floor).

Thus, these ovens are capable of gradually retaining heat for hours, making them very practical and versatile for cooking different foods: from instant pizzas to stews, meats, vegetables, and even—at the end, using the residual heat—for fermenting yogurt, dehydrating foods, and proofing bread.Cob is a very inclusive, organic, and creative earth-building technique that allows us to shape walls freely, working with curves very easily. In this way, we can sculpt around the oven and its bench, turning it into a collective work of art.

The 7-days intensive workshop will start the 6th of June with a welcome dinner and the workshop introduction.

During the workshop, you will learn how to build your own oven using clay soil and other natural materials – from the foundation to the finish plasters, and also a cob bench. You will sculpt with cob to give your oven a beautiful shape, making it a unique piece! You will also learn the principles of cob and stone foundations, along with all the details of earthen and lime plasters, applying everything directly to a real project.

You will get to truly feel the technique and take with you valuable theoretical and practical knowledge, empowering you to experiment and build your own cob oven, walls, benches, garden structures, or even a small cob cabin! This is the perfect first dive into cob building, with a project that you can start and complete in less than a week while gaining solid principles to continue exploring.