[Strawbale] Workshop announcement

[BWBNewsletter]

Field-Testing Builders Without Borders Straw-Bale Construction Guides

A special workshop is planned for field-testing the new Builders Without 
Borders (BWB) Straw-Bale Construction Guides, March 19-26, 2004. Kutunza 
Institute will offer a unique opportunity for workshop participants to test 
and develop the final version of the Guides, while learning how to build a 
strawbale structure.

This workshop is ideal for natural builders, designers, architects, 
educators and anyone interested in building affordable housing projects in 
developing regions. Workshop participants will get to build a strawbale 
structure under the guidance of experienced instructors.

The workshop will be held at Kutunza Institute (www.Kutunza.org), 
approximately 20 miles north of Las Cruces, New Mexico. (Detailed 
directions to the Institute are on the Kutunza ‘Contact’ web page.) Kutunza 
is located on a beautiful piece of river-bottom land along the Rio Grande 
River, and has a relatively mild climate.

Topics include:
• Design for Basic Human Needs
• Site Considerations
• Low-cost Foundations
• Bale Wall Construction
• Pinning Options
• Roofs
• Earthen Plaster
• Art and Decoration

This workshop will go well beyond learning strawbale basics, because the 
goal is to finalize the BWB Guides and prepare builders for work on 
affordable, low-tech strawbale housing projects. Insights and 
recommendations from participants will be highly valued, and all 
participants will be acknowledged on the credits page in the Guides.

This workshop, along with all the workshops and training programs at 
Kutunza, can be applied towards a degree in Natural Building Technology at 
Arbor University (http://arboruniversity.us/).  More details on this are on 
the Kutunza website.

The instructors for the workshop are the authors of the BWB Straw-Bale 
Construction Guides -- Dr. Owen Geiger, Director of Builders Without 
Borders, and Katia LeMone, a facilitator and project manager for Upper 
Mohawk, Inc.

The cost of the workshop is $500 and includes catered lunches. Breakfasts 
are available for $3/meal and catered dinners are available for $10/day. 
Camping is free.

For more workshop information, visit the Kutunza Institute website: 
www.Kutunza.org

More about the Builders Without Borders (BWB) Straw-Bale Construction Guides

Two new construction guides are being finalized -- one for workshop 
participants, and one for facilitators:

1. The Builders Without Borders (BWB) Straw-Bale Construction Guide was 
created to meet the growing demand for easy-to-understand instructions on 
building strawbale homes. It is designed for workshop participants, the 
communities that work with BWB and anyone who wants to build a comfortable, 
affordable home. This book is a pictorial how-to guide on straw-bale 
construction basics that emphasizes low-cost methods to help those in the 
greatest need for affordable housing.

2. The BWB Facilitators Guide is the curriculum that accompanies the BWB 
Straw-Bale Construction Guide. The Facilitators Guide enables the 
instructor to teach at a deeper level. It outlines the purpose of each 
section, and identifies activities, discussion topics, technical 
considerations, time frames and exercises to accomplish the desired goals. 
Lesson plans on each topic help the instructor convey the concepts in the 
Straw-Bale Construction Guide.

To learn more about these construction guides, please go to the BWB ‘About 
Us’ web page: www.BuildersWithoutBorders.org/aboutus.htm

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