Natural Building Workshop – Hempcrete Round House Building with Reciprocal Roof

During this 3 day workshop you will be constructing a round hempcrete and timber pole structure and building a reciprocating roof. You will see this project come to fruition and learn all the steps and building techniques that will equip you with the confidence, skills and knowledge to build you own.

Workshop Outcomes

This 3-day long weekend workshop will teach you the skills of hempcrete building as well as a range of other building techniques and methods. It will also include learning how to build a reciprocal roof and cover rendering techniques. The project involves making a small outdoor roundhouse. Through theory and hands-on practical experience, you will gain a great deal of knowledge and learn a range of skills by working on a specific real project. This hands-on practical workshop will be highly creative and educative with two highly qualified and experienced natural building trainers. It‘s a fun filled packed weekend get-away in the country.

It will equip you with the skills and knowledge to be able to start making your own natural building features and structures in your home garden, school or community garden. The workshop also includes theory, evening discussions, presentations and films after dinner Saturday and Sunday. This allows for further information and theory on natural building to be gained.

You will be taken through the process from sourcing the materials to construction and completion so you will be able to replicate the process yourself. Some topics include:

What natural and ecological building is, its terminology, concepts and principles
Solar Passive Design
Choosing appropriate natural building technique suitable to place and situation
Identifying suitable materials from your site and beyond and how to source them
Hempcrete building principles and techniques
Different Hempcrete options and recipes
Building with Hempcrete – how to build and work with it
How to repair, restore and maintain Hempcrete
How to add windows doors or other features
And much, much more

There will also be opportunities to see and discuss other inspiring natural buildings and on-site structures at PSI such as a straw-bale building, bamboo, wattle and daub and an earthbag dome building.
Who is this for?

Builders, architects, designers, engineers, owner builders, or those with an interest in natural building.
About the Trainers: Sam Vivers, Viva Homes and Adrian Medcraft, Green-e-building