Bouzov, Czech Republic, Central Europe

Instructor Martina Petru & Max Vittrup Jensen

http://permalot.org/en/internships

Join us for the second  of our 2 summer internships.

Internship II: International Relief Work  8 weeks – 790 Euro

PermaLot is establishing a holistic model for solutions to peak oil, climate change, financial crises, and food/water scarcity. Become part of a new trade of builders ready to meet the challenges and the opportunity of the 21st century, with training and skill development in:

• International Relief Work utilizing the SPHERE certificate model

• Permaculture Principles and Methods, course include permaculture design certification

• Hands-on low tech and mechanized building methods

• Conscientious design applications that relate to the planet, place, and project.

• Healthy building materials such as straw bale, cob, earthen building, living roof systems, and alternative energy.

• You’ll learn -and live- community design & building with weekly sessions on conflict prevention and Non-Violent communication

Vancouver Island, BC Canada

O.U.R. Natural Building Passport Skillbuilder 2009 is a concentrated Learning Internship at O.U.R. ECOVILLAGE. This Program is for participants who wish to learn foundational design and construction of Natural Building. It is O.U.R. ECOVILLAGE hope that we can help create a further pool of inspired, committed, and skilled Natural Builders who will widen the circle of people who are working within the field of ecologically design and construction. Though always on the edge of new innovations, and testing new opportunities, it is O.U.R. primary interest to construct buildings which can be lived in, or used legally, plus serve as a demonstration for other builders, homeowners, designers/engineers, and regulatory authorities.

Elke Cole, resident natural builder at O.U.R.ECOVILLAGE, will lead this comprehensive training program. This new program differs greatly from previous years and will be a concentrated format. With a combination of Elke Cole as the lead teacher/facilitator, the program will offer a diverse array of other facilitators for various learning modules within the program. The training is run in conjunction with O.U.R. ’2nd Generation Internship’ where previous Interns are hired to help lead the facilitation and construction processes onsite.

www.ourecovillage.org

Santa Fe, New Mexico
www.econest.com At its finest, building a handcrafted home is a soulful experience combining art, science and craft and involving mind, body and soul. The knowledge and skill to build mindfully is not learned overnight. The EcoNest Company realizes the vital importance of passing this craft on to the next generation and offers apprenticeship programs to promising individuals who feel a calling to make fine ecological home building their life’s work.

There was a fair amount of time on the trip home to reflect on the statement that Jack Stephens made at the International Natural Building Colloquium 2008: “We need to build more GOOD buildings.” It reminded me of the first exam essay I had to write in Architecture 101, about the Vitruvian trilogy of Firmitas, Utilitas and Venustas – the three essential traits of “good” buildings. In the vocabulary of sustainable building, these are roughly translated as durability, functionality, and beauty.

In terms of creating good, sustainable buildings, current guidelines and literature generally agree about the basics of design, material selection and installation. As I’ve traveled and worked since finishing the Sustainable Building Design and Construction program at Fleming College, I’ve found that detailing and durable building design practices vary widely. Some of these differences are characterized as matters of opinion or regional variation, while in other cases I’ve found many owner-builders and beginning builders are reluctant to dig for guidance about construction details in long narratives about alternative building.

So far I have only found a few reliable construction notes, straw bale construction details and readily-available resources. Some builders and organizations have developed their own construction notes and details, and a few NBN members have recommended gathering a more comprehensive resource of specifications and construction details.

On the surface it appears to be a monumental task, but I would note as well that it’s already happening: each time designers approach a new set of conditions or parameters; each time we experiment with innovative materials; and each time builders sketch up new details to resolve an issue caused by changes during construction.

Reviewing, synthesizing and organizing the aggregate of that information might pose an initial challenge. Others have already shown that adopting CSI numbering and standard code references, where applicable, facilitates easy integration of alternative construction practices into standard design, permitting & construction project management processes.

Our goal is to produce a reliable package of construction details, schematics and specifications to be used by designers and builders that could be kept current with bibliographic references and research.

One possibility that has been raised is that of holding a “blueprints, details and specs drive” to get started – maybe not this year’s hottest items, but documentation that is two, five, ten years old and could afford to see the light of day again. For consistency’s sake, it would also be nice to know from other builders what drafting and graphics software they usually find themselves using.

I’ve also begun gathering some other helpful documents on getting started in natural and sustainable building, and would appreciate some input on business registration, contractor licensing and insurance coverage for professional builders working in more than one state or province in the same year.

Shortly after returning from California, I had a chance to visit the local apprenticeship and training office. I was pleased to find out that I can apply most of the hours I’ve worked on natural building projects toward a carpenter’s journeyman qualification. Glad to find that keeping a detailed daily log as well as photographic records and other documentation came in handy!

Based on background information from the California Apprenticeship Coordinators Association and apprenticeship resources in Canada, the following consistent traits shape a meaningful definition and framework for apprenticeship:

• The apprenticeship system has existed almost from the dawn of recorded history. Currently, there are more than 800 apprenticeship occupations in the United States.
• An apprentice is an employee who receives an hourly wage and other benefits while learning a craft/trade.
• The vast majority of training occurs on-the-job, and is supplemented by classroom instruction. Most qualified building trades complete 2000-8000 hours of training.
• The apprentice works side-by-side with an experienced craftsperson or “journeyperson.”
• To become a qualified journeyman, an apprentice carpenter in Ontario must demonstrate a high level of competency in 98 individual skill sets in 17 general skill areas – 5 of these are related to construction in general, and the other 12 are specific to the trade.

In Canada, there are many substantial incentives for the development of apprenticeable trades for apprentices and employers alike. In addition to thoroughly reviewing the journeyman qualification application and carpentry apprenticeship standards manual, I have had a few chances to review proposed models for specialized sustainable building apprenticeships based on this model. The language and format of the carpentry model can easily be adapted to the skill sets desirable of capable sustainable builders. Identifying and organizing these useful skills and attributes will take some brainstorming, shuffling and reorganizing. I would welcome anyone willing to jot down some notes, lists and ideas to join me in a discussion about gathering and organizing building skills and professional credentials. Many accredited institutions already offer well-developed courses and continuing education units (CEUs) that help to develop design skills, understanding of professional practices, construction management and building science, and fulfill train-the-trainer requirements.

If anyone is familiar with union-based trade apprenticeships or timber framing apprenticeships, or can share resources that shed light on their format, I would appreciate their input. Also, comments from anyone familiar with designing a curriculum with reference to identified construction standards would be appreciated. As has been shown to be effective with construction documentation, borrowing the language and format of conventional trade qualifications seems a convenient way to build wider opportunities and recognition for the natural building movement.

References:

In addition to the background information and initial suggestions outlined above, I have a few extended reference documents pertaining to apprenticeship, a working draft outline of skill sets for sustainable building design and construction, and working draft strategies for developing apprenticeship and specification initiatives. I am willing to share and collaborate on these upon request to sarahjseitz at gmail dot com.

Specifications and Construction Notes

California Straw Bale Code:
http://www.dcat.net/resources/California_Straw_Bale_Code.pdf

Straw Bale Details:

http://www.newsociety.com/bookid/3791

Construction Specifications Institute – Information on CSI MasterFormat:

http://www.csinet.org/s_csi/sec.asp?TRACKID=&CID=5&DID=5

Background on CSI & MasterFormat, from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Construction_Specifications_Institute

CSI MasterFormat Division List:

http://www.constructionnotebook.com/ipin2/CSIDivisions.asp

Canada – National Master Specification:

http://www.innovative.ca/downloads/Support/ug2000-e.pdf

Education:

The Sustainable Building Design and Construction program at Sir Sandford Fleming College is an intensive, hands-on college certificate course founded and taught by Chris Magwood. Over the course of 20 weeks, students in the course construct a public building from the ground up, each taking responsibility for an individual aspect of the structural construction, mechanical systems installation or project and site management. Students learn about the design and installation of alternative foundations, wall systems, roofs and finishes, as well as siting considerations, renewable energy and water collection and disposal alternatives. Having gained experience with straw bale building, salvaged materials, cob, plasters, stud and timber framing, and natural finishes, students have gone on to work as consultants, builders, designers and instructors.

The work of current and previous course years can be seen here:

www.sustainablebuilding2009.ca

www.sustainablebuilding2008.ca

www.sustainablebuilding2007.ca

www.sustainablebuilding2006.ca

Apprenticeships:

California Apprenticeship Coordinators Association

Apprenticeship in Ontario (Ontario Ministry of Colleges, Universities & Training)

The Ellis Chart – Comparative chart of apprentice training programs across Canada

The Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program

Western Apprenticeship Coordinators’ Association

In Ontario, journeyman qualification and apprenticeship training standards are broken down into 98 individual skill sets in 17 training units. Below is an overview of training units for apprenticeship and journeyman qualification in carpentry:

1451. Protect Self and Others
1452. Operate Tools and Equipment
1453. Prepare Site For Building
1454. Execute Form Work
1455. Frame Floors and Walls
1456. Construct Heavy Framing
1457. Frame Roofs
1458. Apply Exterior Finishing Materials
1459. Install Finished Materials to Walls and Ceilings
1460. Apply Interior Finishing Materials
1461. Use Plans and Sketches and Estimate Costs
1462. Build Stairs
1463. Install Doors, Frames and Hardware
1464. Carry Out Landscape and Site Work
1465. Erect and Dismantle Scaffolds
1466. Cut Mild Steel
1467. Weld Mild Steel

At their annual general meeting in March, the OSBBC established committees to review and finalize two sets of documents: one for apprenticeship in straw bale building (based on the model of the carpentry apprenticeship in Ontario), and another for standardized straw bale construction notes. To join the OSBBC and committees to participate in the review, please visit www.osbbc.ca.

Contractor Licensing:

It should be noted that completion of any trade qualification is separate and distinct from obtaining business and contractor licensing. More information on obtaining contractor’s licenses can be found here:

Contractors’ License Reference Site

How to Start a Construction Business in Ontario