residential weekend course cob building

venue: the Middlewood Trust, Lancashire

This course is run by Earthed.

The course will aim to introduce methods of earth/cob building, and will include theory and practice with short demonstrations; however, the emphasis will be on hands-on learning. You will find space for fun and creativity and expect a workout for the body and mind! Participants should leave feeling confident in their ability to start a small cob structure of their own and to make and apply an earthen plaster.

Practical sessions will cover:

• materials, where to locate them and how to test them
• mixing cob successfully by foot and using machinery; how to adapt your mixes to suit the conditions and elements in the design
• sculpting with cob; how to create free flowing forms, integrated niches and decoration
• different techniques of building and trimming walls - both freeform and using forms

Theory / design sessions will cover:

• brief introduction to the philosophy and history of cob and other natural building methods
• the practical and environmental benefits of cob building
• simple roof designs for small cob structures
• siting, foundations and drainage for small cob structures

During the weekend there will be a visual presentation of cob from around the world, from the functional to the fantastic. Magical and inspiring buildings to fire your imagination.

The build part of this course continues until 5pm on Sunday afternoon, although of course you are free to leave after lunch if you prefer.

more on cob building

building the cob walls of an earth oven

high-tech method of mixing cob!

plastering detail