Cob Oven Building Workshop in Fairfax, California
We spent this past weekend getting dirty in Fairfax, California!
Living Earth Structures, head by Miguel Elliot, lead a two-day Cob Oven Building Workshop at the Sustainability Center of Fairfax. A truly wonderful experience exploring how a simple mixture of sandy-earth, clay, water, and human touch can act as valuable sustainable building material. More about Cob here
After an introduction the workshop quickly got dirty as we all dove into the project. Mixing the ingredients together at various ratios according to the different applications for the oven.
Each cob mixture was carefully examined for its consistency by a waste-high cob-ball drop to the ground - checking its cracking upon the fateful plop. If it fell apart it needed more earth. If it didn't dent, more water. We celebrated the flexibility of the creation process with a vigorous mud stomp, reminiscent of the traditional grape-squishing-into-wine technique. To add to the fun, Miguel lead us all in some traditional African work songs he learned during his time spent teaching and learning there.
Though we "only" built a snail-molded pizza oven, cob can be shaped into an infinite number of structures including benches, tables, saunas, gazebos, domes, hot tubs, interior design, and yes - homes. Miguel, or "Muddy Miggy", has been knee deep in creative cob structures for years. He reaches out to educate at community events, schools, and honestly anywhere he has an opportunity to share. He is self-admittedly "cobsessed"!
We are so grateful for the opportunity to have had learn about one of the more traditional natural building practices. We'll be sure to take this knowledge with us as we grow and create! So many thanks to Miguel for being such a leader in the world of sustainable building.
Living Earth Structures, head by Miguel Elliot, lead a two-day Cob Oven Building Workshop at the Sustainability Center of Fairfax. A truly wonderful experience exploring how a simple mixture of sandy-earth, clay, water, and human touch can act as valuable sustainable building material. More about Cob here
After an introduction the workshop quickly got dirty as we all dove into the project. Mixing the ingredients together at various ratios according to the different applications for the oven.
Each cob mixture was carefully examined for its consistency by a waste-high cob-ball drop to the ground - checking its cracking upon the fateful plop. If it fell apart it needed more earth. If it didn't dent, more water. We celebrated the flexibility of the creation process with a vigorous mud stomp, reminiscent of the traditional grape-squishing-into-wine technique. To add to the fun, Miguel lead us all in some traditional African work songs he learned during his time spent teaching and learning there.
Though we "only" built a snail-molded pizza oven, cob can be shaped into an infinite number of structures including benches, tables, saunas, gazebos, domes, hot tubs, interior design, and yes - homes. Miguel, or "Muddy Miggy", has been knee deep in creative cob structures for years. He reaches out to educate at community events, schools, and honestly anywhere he has an opportunity to share. He is self-admittedly "cobsessed"!
We are so grateful for the opportunity to have had learn about one of the more traditional natural building practices. We'll be sure to take this knowledge with us as we grow and create! So many thanks to Miguel for being such a leader in the world of sustainable building.
For more information about cob building or to contact Miguel and Living Earth Structures, please visit www.LivingEarthStructures.com
~Dani
~Dani
posted by D.r.e.e.m. Reality @ 3:46 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home