Essentials of Natural Building

May 14^th 9am-4pm 2010

Join us for an informative and practical introduction to the essentials of Natural Building.

Cob and Earthen Plaster represent a simple, sustainable, appropriate and entirely available resource for Vancouver residents.  With a media-rich and design focused presentation followed by a hands-on session, you will learn the essentials of working with this ancient material and ways to incorporate its use into your life.

Topics covered include:

-          Cob

-          Earthen Plaster

-          A Pattern Language

-          Urban Cob and Earthen Plaster applications

Time:  9:00am – 4pm

Location:  UBC Farm Centre (go to: http://www.landfood.ubc.ca/ubcfarm/ for directions)

Date:  May 14^th

Instructor:  James Richardson

Cost: $45 ( plus $2.12 registration fee)

Maximum participants: 15

What to bring:  Clothes you don’t mind getting quite muddy, and hands and feet ready for stomping in the mud; writing and design materials (pens, pencils and a creative spirit); potluck lunch item to share.

Presenter Bio:
James Richardson is currently engaged in a Masters of Advance Studies of Landscape Architecture at UBC exploring urban form and sustainable food systems.  He has co-taught Permaculture workshops at OUR Ecovillage, B.C., Lost Valley Education Centre, OR, University of Northern British Columbia and University of Victoria.  James brings an experiential flare to his teachings, following a teaching career in Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.  James has studied Permaculture, natural building, biodynamic farming and community and brings to UBC Farm a deep understanding of the art and science of sustainability.

Tentative Agenda:

9:00am – Introduction(s), goal setting, amend agenda (inside)

9:15am – Introduction to patterns, cob, strawbale design (inside)

10:00am – Mini-design exercise (sector analysis) (children’s garden)

10:30am – Morning tea break (children’s garden)

10:45am – Earthen plaster practical plaster workshop and mural design (children’s garden)

11:30am – Community presentation – the stories our built environments tell (children’s garden)

11:45am – Cob building tour and reflection (children’s garden)

o        Strengths and weaknesses of current design

o        Test brick exercise

o        Living design strategies and design process:Everyone’s an artist.

12:00pm – Lunch (children’s garden)

1:00pm – Cob mixing and soil assessment and test brick activity (children’s garden)

1:15pm - Earthen plaster start, Cob start (children’s playhouse and building)

3: 30pm – Clean up (children’s garden)

3:45pm – Gratitude and reflection circle (children’s garden)

4:00pm – Closing (children’s garden)