[Strawbale] Workshop announcement

["BWBNewsletter" <BWBNewsletter@lists....com>]

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