Natural building project experience & links

​

Cob Projects and workshops

​

Taught a short series of workshops for Architecture students at Newcastle University, UK

​

Provided a workshop for the Land Skills Fair (festival organised by the Land Workers Alliance), UK, with music and hands on cob 

​

Ran sessions for Nature Child, outdoor learning for Primary School children, Wales

​

Completed introduction to cob workshops and a full cob oven workshop at Black Mountains College, Wales

 

Co- taught and assisted with 10 cob building courses with Cob Cottage Company, Oregon, USA in 3, 5 and 10 day workshops. 

 

Led a 3 month apprenticeship designing and building a complete cob guest house in Spirit Pine Sanctuary, California, USA.  2014-2015

​

Taught a one day family workshop building a sculptural bench at Edison Primary School in Eugene, Oregon. 

​

Co-taught a Rocket Mass Heater workshop for Old Chapel Farm, Wales

​

Helped finish a roundhouse for The Earth Heart Center, Forest of Dean, UK

 

Assisted The Hollies with a cob kitchen attached to a traditional round house in West Cork, Ireland.

​

Assisted Piedra del Soles with a family cob house in DFA, Mexico

 

 

Adobe projects

 

Designed and constructed a Chilean barrel oven, with Tierra Morena Bio-construction School, Cordoba, Argentina.

 

Constructed walls and structural arches for a bathroom with The Panya Project permaculture learning center in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

 

Created materials for a seed bank in CIDEP (Centro de Investigación, Desarrollo y Enseñanza de Permacultura), El Bolson, Argentina.  

 

Handmade bricks and used them in walls and arches at the Cob Cottage Company, USA.

 

 

Slip- straw/ light clay infil / quincha and wattle and daub projects

 

Built a four chamber composting toilet  and experimented with various light clay and wattle and daub techniques at The Panya Project, Thailand.

 

Designed and built a dry bathroom and shower at Costa Del Rio, El Bolson, Argentina.  Experimented with various light clay infill/ quincha recipies and techniques.

 

 

Straw bale and bale cob projects

 

Straw bale house in El Bolson, Argentina.  Experience gained with plastering and infill.

 

Bale cob system explored and constructed at the Cob Cottage Comapny, USA.

 

 

Timber and bamboo projects

 

Assisted with the fabrication and installation of high thermal performance cladding including hand-cut timber cladding at Landmatters intentional community in Devon.

 

Created bamboo screens and installations at Eco Arts, Mendoza, Argentina.

 

 

Natural finishes and floors

 

Provided consultation services and construction assistance for an earthen floor in the Wye Valley, UK

​

Natural plastering experience gained in various projects in Thailand and Argentina, including bathrooms, schools and an earth-bag construction seed bank. 

 

Lime plasters & natural paints mixed, applied and taught at the Cob Cottage Company, USA, including large scale burnished walls and the design, construction and finishing of sculptural artworks.

 

Earthen floor and plasters applied to guest house in Spirit Pine Sanctuary, California, USA.

 

 

Natural landscaping projects

 

Landscaped using reclaimed materials including steps, bridge and river side landscaping in Eco Arts.

 

Waterfall, creek and pond in Hill House Farm, Nelson, Canada.

​

​

Architectural resume

​

Project Architect at Urban Research Lab multidisciplinary architectural practice in Singapore. Lead Project Architect for a residential condominum skyscraper and other varied projects. 2012-2013

 

Assistant Architect at W Architects design-led architectural practice in Singapore. Worked alongside project architect on a luxury residential complex and on other housing and varied projects. 2009-2012

 

Assistant Architect at White Design Associates sustainability-led architectural practice in Bristol, UK.  Worked alongside project architect on a 55 hectare new environmentally responsible zoo/ conservation park and on school projects. 2007-2008

 

Pro- bono Architectural Advisor for Surf Sufficient (reg. charity) in the UK and Sri Lanka.  Worked with founder of the charity to create concept designs and fund raising material for a community run surf lodge in post-tsunami Sri lanka. 2008-2009

​

 

Volunteering links

 

Much of this experience would not have been possible without the following volunteer websites.  I stongly recommend them for inspirational experiences which allow you to get to know amazing places, people and skills without money being involved and for which cash could never pay for.

 

Workaway :  A website with a multitude of different work- trade experiences on offer all over the world.

 

Helpx : A similar website to Workaway (but less user- friendly).

 

WWOOF :  Perhaps the original volunteering website, it stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.  A vast resource focusing on farm-based experiences.

 

The Poosh :  A relatively new and smaller scale website which advertises work- trade experiences on natural building projects

​