Possibly my favorite day of the course was the one we spent building. I think I’m going to be an earth builder someday.
We built a bamboo greenhouse for the community gardens at Tui. Using bamboo from down the street and old bike tires we got from a recycling plant, along with some stones from the river, we put together a super strong frame for a greenhouse.
Tying bamboo pieces together with slashed up strips of bike tire
Bamboo propped off of ground with river stone and tied to T post with tire
Final knots!
We also helped a member of the community named Tyson to finish up earth-building his door frame. Most of the initial work had been done, as he had built the beginning structure with bamboo poles and interweaved mugwort, willow branches, and wormwood, then packed in one layer of cobb (this method is called waddle and dobb). It was outlined with chicken wire and wooden boards to hold it up, and a second thin layer was added. It still needed one more layer of cobb, plus a plaster layer, which we managed to take care of!
Mixing up cobb: clay, sand, water and straw! The ratio depends on the quality of all of these items. We tested it by forming balls and dropping them on the ground, if the lump was moist and stayed together without cracking, it’s the right texture!
Handful of rich building goodness
Cobb is pressed into the wall and smeared with the heel of the hand.
Cobb-caked hands and proud faces after a finished door frame!
Earth plaster: super refined clay and water rubbed through finely knit screens
Trying out the intricate art of plastering
We also practiced making a rocket stove out of cinder blocks found on an abandoned warehouse site. An easy way to cook outdoors!
Starting a fire in the base structure
Mint tea over our mini stove!
It felt amazing to use basic technologies, and reusable/renewable materials to create something highly functional. I can’t wait to do a bunch more of it!