Costa Rica

Instructor Skip Dewhirst, Lizabeth Moniz

http://www.yestermorrow.org/courses/detail/natural-building-in-costa-rica?StartDate=2010-08-27&SortColumn=StartDate&SortDir=ASC&CategorySlug=natural-building

This innovative course in the rainforest of Costa Rica provides students with a unique opportunity to explore the design/build process using earth, straw, cob, stone, site-milled wood, bamboo, and recycled/reused materials. The class will work on a group project at the Rancho Mastatal environmental learning center or a small community project in the village of Mastatal. Students will have the chance to collaborate on a variety of design assignments. The class will survey and discuss different building techniques and work hands-on and in-depth with a featured number of them. A field trip to investigate local vernacular architecture is one highlight of the course. The class is ideal for architecture, environmental studies, and building technology students and professionals as well as those interested in incorporating natural building techniques into their own projects. Food and lodging at Rancho Mastatal is included in the tuition cost. Visit www.ranchomastatal.com for more information on the class location.

Custer, Wisconsin

Instructor Mark Morgan and Vincent Miresse

http://www.the-mrea.org

Tuition $110.00

Natural Building? Think three little pigs. Straw, Wood, Stone. Building with natural materials has been happening since the dawn of humankind. Come to the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) to learn about different types and styles of alternative construction and to learn about sustainable building and decision making. The purpose of this class is for people to reconnect with the materials that surround them and regain the knowledge about local, healthy, natural material use and selection and appropriate regional wall systems. Topics to be discussed: site and design considerations; foundations; local material – wood, clay, sand, stone, straw, etc.; wall systems – straw bale, light straw-clay, monolithic adobe (cob), cordwood, earth bag, rammed earth and rammed tire; earthen floors and plasters; stick framing, post and beam, and timber frame; and steel and living roofs.

Please register in advance.

Warren, Vermont

Instructor: Ace McArleton, Jacob Racusin

http://www.yestermorrow.org

Tuition:$750

Have you always wondered about strawbale construction? Heard it is only for hot and dry climates? Think again! With their combination of insulation and thermal mass, plastered strawbale walls can be perfect for cold – and even wet – climates if they are designed and built according to a set of time tested principles. This course balances sessions in the classroom and on a demonstration project so you will learn to think your way through a bale house while gaining a feel for the nature of straw, clay and lime as building materials.

Warren, Vermont

Instructor: Yestermorrow Design/Build School, multiple instructors

http://www.yestermorrow.org

Tuition:$6200

The Natural Building Intensive is a unique course of study that brings together a collaborative group of experienced and enthusiastic instructors with students in an in-depth, hands-on experience in natural building, from the design and planning stages through the finishing touches.

Students enrolled in the Summer 2010 program will help design and build a complete structure from start to finish – a building handcrafted from natural stone, straw, timber, and clay just down the road from Yestermorrow in Warren, Vermont. This program provides the opportunity to develop a range of natural building skills for owner-builders and aspiring professional natural builders alike. Additionally, the Natural Building Intensive will incorporate natural building methods with more commonly utilized building techniques, emphasizing an inte-grated approach to natural building systems for a northern climate.

There are no prerequisites for entering the program. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through May 3, 2010.

Program Dates: May 30-August 20, 2010

The Natural Building Intensive includes all of the courses listed here (some adjustments may occur depending on the final project design), plus an additional 4 weeks of tutorials in between the classes covering all aspects of the building process. Tuition is $6,200 plus food and lodging.

Instructor: Steve Kimble and Molly Currie

http://mudstrawlove.com

Tuition: $325 for the full 3-day workshop. Food & lodging provided. Register before July 1st and pay only $285.

Straw Bale Building Workshop!

What:
3-day intensive workshop on straw bale construction .

When:
October 23rd-25th.

Who:
Steve Kemble has been involved in the straw bale building revival from the beginning. Since 1991 he has produces several videos on straw bale construction and taught numerous workshops.

Mollie Curry got involved with natural building when she moved to Earthaven EcoVillage in 1996. She has taught natural building workshops since 1998.

Where:
Twin Oaks Community, 45 minutes east of Charlottesville, Virginia.

Cost:
$325 for the full 3-day workshop. Food & lodging provided.
Register before July 1st and pay only $285.

Twin Oaks Community would like to invite you to attend our three day earth shelter workshop. Come learn about straw bale construction from expert instructors while experiencing our legendary hospitality. Our workshop will be a fun and informative experience you won’t soon forget!

We will present both hands-on experience opportunities and “classroom” style learning while we build and learn together. We will give you the explanations you need to understand not only what you are physically working on, but will also help you grasp the wider perspective on how to build as a whole, with an emphasis on natural building and green design, including passive solar.

Our instructors, Steve Kemble and Mollie Curry, are professional teachers and experts in the field of natural building design and construction. Together. they form a team where your learning style is respected, your questions get answered, and you have a good time learning effective ways of building energy- and material-efficient, beautiful, connected-feeling shelters!

In this workshop. you will come away with a solid introduction to the basics of straw bale building construction, earth plaster application and passive solar design.

Workshop features include:
# Comprehensive instruction on straw bale construction and earthen plaster application
# Lessons and hands on instruction from professional teacher with over 3 decades of experience
# A round table discussion on natural building and communal living
# A full tour of Twin Oaks Community & Acorn Community
# Demonstration of solar hot water heating
# Delicious home cooked meals
# Sleeping accommodations

Shawnigan Lake, Vancouver Island

Instructors: Nydia Solis & Elke Cole

http://www.ourecovillage.org

Tuition: $500(CAN)

We are offering an introductory level course in Strawbale building. We will explore design, good detailing on material connections, and create an understanding of materials and evaluation of choices. Join O.U.R. 2009 Natural Building Skillbuilders as they finish their program and share their learning with you. If you are a ‘wanna be’ home builder, a conventional builder looking for a twist, or an artist looking to widen your pallet…..this is a wonderful learning opportunity with recipes, discussion on methodologies, and learning circles.

O.U.R.Ecovillage is a great place to learn. You can see finished examples of past natural building project work onsite and be inspired by communal life.