COB BUILDING IN SCHOOLS

We believe that every school would greatly benefit from an emphasis on natural building incorporated into the curriculum, so that by the time a student has graduated, they are able to identify good Earth material for building, be able to make a foundation, know how to make a good cob mix and how to build various earthen structures.Wouldn’t it be so great if the students could teach their parents how to build an oven, bench or little hut in their backyard?Perhaps a student would so enjoy the natural building process that they would want to pursue a career in alternative earthen building!It is possible to build an oven in a school garden, with approval from the fire department, they are considered to be the same permitting process as a BBQ. To build a roof over the structure at a school will require a building permit.

Here are some examples of Earthen structures we have built with students at their schools.

CLASSROOM PRESENTATIONS

We offer a 50 minute long presentation about natural building, which includes an explanation about the ways to identify good material for making the cob mix. We discuss the many advantages of natural building, the history, and the ways of protecting the structures to last for many years. Included in the presentation is a slideshow of various examples of natural building, namely strawbale, cob, adobe, earthbag, palletable cobins, earthships, wattle & daub and rammed earth. We like to encourage an adobe brick making activity after the presentation so the students can directly experience what was discussed.

Typically, the cost for a classroom presentation is $100
When we are building an Earthen structure at the school, such as a bench, oven or play structure, the classroom presentation is included into the project with no extra cost.