INTRODUCTION TO COB & NATURAL BUILDING WORKSHOP

AT QUAIL SPRINGS www.quailsprings.org 

April 4-10, 2015 (7 days)

With Sasha Rabin, Betty Seaman, & Paul Swenson

Cob building combines clay sediment, sand, fiber, and water, and is hand sculpted to form walls, benches, ovens, and fireplaces. Cob building makes use of readily available, affordable, non-toxic materials to build beautiful, organic structures.

The course is appropriate for both first-time builders and for professionals in the building trade who are interested in natural materials. In this cob workshop, we focus on the characteristics of the natural materials most commonly used in construction: clay soil, sand, and fibers. Our main focus will be cob, though we will touch on various other building techniques that utilize the same materials, including adobe block, light straw-clay, wattle and daub, and plasters. We will discuss how to find and choose appropriate soil for construction, how to create various mixes, how to attach wood to earthen walls, and how to use earthen materials to build walls, sculpt niches, shelves, and furniture.

This course is primarily a hands on course, where we learn by doing. We will be building a small structure from start to finish. As a complement to the hands-on portion of the course, we will include slide shows and discussions of the theoretical aspects of natural building. Subjects include building design and siting, passive solar design, foundations and drainage, earthen floors, appropriate roof design, and wiring and plumbing for natural structures.

Lead Instructor:  Sasha Rabin

Sasha Rabin has been practicing natural building as well as teaching it since 2002, when she began her building career with an  apprenticeship at the Cob Cottage Company.  Since then she has taught all over the US through the organizations that she co-founded, Seven Generations Natural Builders and Vertical Clay, as well as collaborated with other schools and organizations including The Yestermorrow Design Build School, The Canelo Project, The Solar Living Institute, Quail Springs Permaculture, as well as taught at the Permaculture Research Institute in Jordan.   Although she enjoys building, her true passions lie in the teaching and sharing natural building with others.  Visit Sasha’s website at EarthenShelter.com to learn more.

Co-Instructor:  Betty Seaman

Betty Seaman is an accomplished artist and natural builder for over 20 years.  She has taught extensively with Cob Cottage Company as well as at her site, Spirit Pine Sanctuary, and is often been sought out as a teacher and advisor by Quail Springs, numerous organizations and private clients.  Betty is an experienced builder of structures large and small from homes to bread ovens. Her passions are fresco, finish plasters, small intimate sacred spaces including benches, meditation rooms and playhouses, and working with kids.

Co-Instructor: Paul Swenson

Paul Swenson is a founding steward of Quail Springs Permaculture where he helped develop the site, community and its offerings for over eight years. He discovered the beauty, function, and joy of natural building in 2005 while building the foundation and wall system of a cob house.  He has been building and baking with earthen materials ever since.  Paul’s teaching style is empowering and puts people at ease, with an emphasis on self-discovery, enjoyment, creating community.