Natural Building Gathering

Two weeks of workshops and practice in different methods and stages of natural building + workshops about the ecovillage project

Thursday May 25 - Thursday June 8

Quinta do Guarda Rios, Nelas, Portugal

Promotion text:

NATURAL BUILD GATHERING

Guarda Rios Ecovillage,

Nelas, Central Portugal

Two weeks

Thurs May 25 - Thurs June 8

Workshops, theory and practice in:

-Making cob and clay plaster

-Plastering light straw walls

-Stone wall and earth bag foundations

-Straw bale wall building

+ Ecovillage introduction sessions

Heart sharing circles,

Singing circles,

Alcohol and drug free space.

New 24ha riverside ecovillage project,

Camping and park-up spaces,

Simple off grid facilities.

All food included, vegan

Shared co-created meals

€250 - €400

Half in advance

(part work exchange possible)

Details: message HealingEcoVillage@gmail.com

Workshops and work sessions

We will be working on the plastering of the light-straw common house, which you can see from the start until now on our blog posts

We will also be working on a second building - a six meter diameter straw bale roundhouse. We have already started the frame and we will learn about and work on the foundations and the straw bale walls during the gathering.

For each method of building, we will start with a workshop which will include some theory and background content. We will then have a few guided work sessions to practice the building techniques.

The topics will be:

1. Clay plastering

Workshop:

Materials and recipes for plaster and cob.
Particle structure, qualities and uses of clay.
Soil testing.
Methods and techniques for building and plastering with clay.

Practical:

Mixing cob for filling gaps in the foundation wall.
Mixing and applying a medium clay plaster for the first layer on the walls.
Mixing and applying a thin second and third layer.

2. Preparing a site for building

Workshop:

Theory about building placement and siting.
Methods for levelling the ground, using datum sticks.
Technique for calculating and triangulating right angles.

Practical:

Levelling the ground with a water tube level.
Making and setting up datum sticks.
Setting up a string line with correct angles.

3. Roundhouse foundation walls

Workshop:

Purpose of the foundation wall.
Alternative methods.
Stone walling techniques and tips.
Earth bag methods.
Fitting the frame with the foundations.

Practical:

Selecting stones and moving them safely.
Practicing stone wall building using the techniques and tips.
Preparing and laying earth bags.
Making and setting up wooden stakes for the straw bales.

4. Straw bale walls

Workshop:

Straw bale wall methods - load bearing and with wooden frame
The roundhouse design.
Alternative types of wall materials and techniques

Practical:

Checking the quality of the bales.
Mixing clay slip.
Dipping the bales in clay slip.
Fixing the bales to the wooden stakes in the wall.

Ecovillage workshops

If the group is interested, we can offer a few workshops about the ecovillage project and the designs for the land and facilities.

For those interested to get more involved, there can be the possibility to stay longer and do some more detailed workshops about how it is to join the project

Schedule

Sundays will have no work scheduled. There are some local markets we can visit.

The roundhouse work site has limited shade, so we will work there in the morning sessions when it is cooler.

The plastering work is in the shade, so we will work there in the afternoon sessions.

We can enjoy a swim in the river to cool off.

Daily schedule for work days:

Breakfast

Morning session

8 - 11h (3hrs)

11 - 12h swim/break/cooking help

Lunch

12h - 13h

Break

13h - 15h30

Snack at 15h30

Afternoon session

16h - 18h (2hrs)

18h - 19h break/help with cooking

Dinner

19h

Accommodation and facilities

Flat, shaded spaces to camp next to the river.

Flat spaces, with some shade to park a campervan (limited spaces)

Shared facilities available:

Straw house common kitchen

Compost toilets

Big tipi with fire pit

Solar shower

Solar phone and laptop charging

Details about Quinta do Guarda Rios here

Co-created event

Everyone helps cook, clean etc. and we design the schedule to meet the group’s needs.

Participants are invited to offer wellbeing practices and evening activities.

Childcare arranged between us and/or workshop sessions designed to be child-friendly.

Finance

Sliding scale €250 - €400 for the whole event, including workshops and food.

Half paid in advance

Children free/donation for food

What to bring

Work gloves if you have them
Tent or campervan
Comfortable and warm bedding
(we have a few tents and bedding available to reserve)
Any food you want to contribute for the healthy vegan meals (please be aware of the boundaries)
Any extra food or snacks you might want in addition to the meals
Natural soap for showering
Towel and swimwear if you want for river swimming (in case the group doesn't agree to nude swimming)
A sun hat to protect your face
Good shoes for working in
Clothes for working in that you don't mind getting clay on which might stain
Any musical instruments for jamming or singing circles

Who is this for?

Those who:

want to learn and practice the natural building techniques we are working with.
are interested to see the different stages of building and experience the qualities of the (almost) finished light-straw common house.
are interested in ecovillages and to find out more about this project.
enjoy gathering and connecting with others.
like living in nature by a river and wild swimming.

Boundaries

No smoking, alcohol, cannabis or recreational drugs on site
(unless part of a group ceremony)

No meat, animal products, sugar, caffeine or junk food in communal areas

(can be in own space)

Please use only natural soaps in the shower, and no soap at all near the river.

Also, please wash off any sunscreen before swimming in the river.

Booking

Book a place by sending a message to healingecovillage (at) gmail.com

Half payment in advance

Natural Building Gathering

Two weeks of workshops and practice in different methods and stages of natural building + workshops about the ecovillage project

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Accommodation and facilities