Natural Building Passport
Skillbuilder

April 15th - October 15th , 2008

Location: O.U.R. ECOVILLAGE, Shawnigan Lake, B.C., Canada

(this program allows for a 3 or 6 month registration)

**Throughout the summer there is also a series of learning modules on sustainable/organic production topics which are provided through a one day,
few day, or even few week format. 
Participants may chose this shorter format and pay just for the time they can attend, and now have the opportunity to utilize the frequent grower program
(higher percentage discount with each additional course you register for)
     

Description

OUR Natural Building Passport Skillbuilder 2008 is a whole new concept of Apprenticeship for OUR ECOVILLAGE.  This Program is for participants who wish to learn the art of Natural Building in relation to Regulatory Authority Processes for fully code compliant building.  It is OUR ECOVILLAGE hope that we can help create a further pool of inspired, committed, and skilled Natural Builders who will widen the circle of people who are working within the field of ecologically designed and built buildings.  Though always on the edge of new innovations, and testing new opportunities, it is OUR primary interest to construct buildings which can be lived in, or used legally, plus serve as a demonstration for other builders, homeowners, and regulatory authorities. 

In past years the Skillbuilder Programs have been designed so that participants can pay for their teachers and facilitators (all participant site costs, project materials, etc have been created through fundraising).  This year OUR Non-Profit is partnering with community organizations and agencies to provide a worktrade apprenticeship program.  This means participants will only pay their site costs (see below) or a minimal registration if they are living off-site.  In order to participate in the worktrade apprenticeship program you will need to contract with 1) OUR ECOVILLAGE for your Worktrade Apprenticeship & the Natural Building Passport, and 2) with a sponsoring organization that you regularly report to.  Funders for this program are providing this financial incentive in order to support the establishment of a new generation of natural builders who will demonstrate commitment, accountability, purpose and a desire to see ecological building knowledge & construction  shared far and wide. 

Our natural building projects for 2008 include the second phase of construction on the  ‘Community Art Studio’, finishing on workshop (conventional), and (very exciting) the start up of the residential zone of OUR ECOVILLAGE.  This includes the first, fully to code, residential building built with a full team of builders, engineers, building inspectors, and community folks.  Participants learn through hands-on practice of building skills, supported by presentations, learning goals and learning projects, personal study and discussions of related topics.

The Natural Building Skillbuilder Program offers:

• Timberframing:  basic courses, detailing and professional development
• Cob Construction: wall building, detailing, windows, doors, roof
• Straw bale and Cob Finishing: aesthetics, bas-relief work, brown coat for plaster, windows and doors
• Natural Plasters: clay and lime recipes, colour and application
• Earthen Floors: tile work, finishing
• Stone work for Natural Building
• Woodworking: as needed to support cob or bale building
• Basic Design Skills: passive solar, natural house specific needs, materials, decision making
• Community life: all participants live on site for the duration of the program. Daily involvement in chores, community meetings, celebrations, seasonal ritual and other community events become part of the stay

Program Outline

The program begins with a one week “permaculturalization”- group building and establishing learning community ethics in connection with everyone on the land. This will also include hands-on activities. Please note: Our building projects will determine the practice. The more people we have involved over the season the more progress is made. What can’t be covered in practice, we discuss in theory.
Expect to spend 6-8 hrs daily on site, with one partial afternoon open for theory. Approx. every second weekend is for personal time.  We will rotate weekly work schedules and include workshops/events for participants as per schedule.
 Field trips to other projects and to Mayne Island cob houses are also included in the program.
Practical learning begins with finishing work.
Participants develop plastering skills, including preparation of materials, mixing and application.
The Art Studio project will involve a variety of wall construction techniques including cob, strawbale, and mixed infill to framed walls.
Our first Ecovillage house project is also part of the program. Building plans will be developed during the winter months and final material choices are part of that and will determine the curriculum.
Design exercises will be related to further development of residences at OUR ECOVILLAGE. This course is designed to provide a real life forum for the challenges and rigor involved in bringing together natural building and conventional building.  Functioning as a team player, accountability to your own goals/team goals, and a clear motivation towards learning is the key to the learning journey.

Instructors/Building Team

Our international teaching team includes builders and artisans:
Elke Cole – Architectual Designer and lead design teacher (www.elkecole.com),
Randy Churchill – Engineer and Project Manager
Higgs Murphy – Internationally known Timberframe teacher
Holger Laerad – Natural Building Artisan and European Masonry Heater Expert
Site Foreman – top secret
Apprentice Coordinator – top secret
Natural Building Network of North America www.naturalbuildingnetwork.org
DryStone Wall Association of Canada http://www.jboyweb.com/drystonewall/
…and a wide variety of teacher/facilitators who focus on particular curriculum components during the program.
We bring in guest presenters on a variety of topics.

Elke Cole

Elke Cole lives on Vancouver Island and designs, builds and teaches "houses that love you back" . Her background is in architecture with a degree received in Germany. After independently working on home designs in the Comox Valley since her move to Canada, she became involved with natural building in 1994. Since then she has designed, built and taught both independently as well as with the Cob Cottage Company, the Down to earth building bee  and Cobworks. Elke is coordinator and lead instructor for the natural building programs at O.U.R. ECOVILLAGE.

Randy Churchill   
- Timber Framer & Project Manager

Over trained as a mechanical engineer, Randy escaped academia to build awesome projects with an accent on heavy timber work. He has designed, cut and raised more than 130 custom timber frames - the smallest being 25 sqft and the largest 18,000 sqft. Most interested in salvaged wood and smart, smaller house designs he will be focused on Project Management and training others in the craft of working heavy timbers. Randy believes that good design addresses all the materials and systems of a home prior to construction to avoid conflicts and unnecessary costs.

Higgs Murphy
- Timber Framing & Log Building Instructor

Multi-talented, but with a troubling addiction to tools, Higgs now focuses on teaching others the craft of working heavy timbers. He ran the TF program at the College of the Rockies for several years and now also supports a Vancouver Island framing shop. Vast experience with log building and timber framing using various layout methods means that he always knows the right answer. His infectious enthusiasm makes hard work fun. Equally adept as a metal worker and machinery operator everyone around him needs to hustle to keep up.

Core Curriculum

The Natural Building Passport Skillbuilder program is part of TOPIA: the Sustainable Learning Community Institute. We are creating a core curriculum that will be available to participants of all programs, regardless of their focus. Topics include community building, human development, compassionate communication, decision-making processes, personal leadership, local indigeneous wisdom, whole systems design and permaculture basics.

An important aspect of our programs are the learning experiences that come with the immersion in the “living and learning community” model at O.U.R. ECOVILLAGE. Within this environment there is a necessary focus on group process and the human/social facets of sustaining community. personal journey, leadership and community governance processes become a focus through personal learning goals and group agreements which form part of the program.

The Learning Community is made up of all program coordinators and full time teachers, participants of all programs taking place on site, guest instructors, and staff.

It is important to recognize that there is also an onsite residential community developing who will always be the HearthKeepers for OUR ECOVILLAGE COOPERATIVE (Inc. 2007).  For the past 8 years of legal & political work OUR ECOVILLAGE has not had housing to support more than a few full time residents onsite.  Many people over the last 8 years have attached themselves to OUR space and consider this their community but you will not necessarily see them on any regular basis – especially with the busyness of the summer where space is at a premium.  OUR Co-op and OUR COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION (Reg. Non-Profit S41542 – Inc. 2005) are the hosts for the summer program temporary community and as such need to be respected for the role of keeping the overall vision, tasks and process of OUR ECOVILLAGE alive in the year round and ongoing sense of community.  We welcome the Learning Community onsite in a participatory decision-making role yet obviously not as a full authority in design or decision making.  OUR ECOVILLAGE asks only that participants agree to contribute the same level of responsibility as the level of investment (worktrade contract) agrees to.

Ecovillage activities

Spending 3-6 months at OUR ECOVILLAGE gives everyone opportunity to participate in a diverse offering of activities. Garden, greenhouses, forest and open spaces offer walks, quiet time, change in pace and other learning. Our connection with the Cowichan First Nations Community brings cultural awareness and integration of practices in our daily lives.   This year is the celebration of The North American Indigenous Games being held right here in The Cowichan Valley!
Shared meals are at the core of community life and everyone participates in meal preparation and care of the common space chores.

Facilities and camp

OUR ECOVILLAGE program participants live in personal tents in our camp area. We have outdoor solar showers and washing station as well as several compost toilets.
OUR outdoor kitchen serves vegetarian food with daily input from the garden. A cob oven is also available for bread baking and pizza.
Meals are provided – breakfast is self serve, lunch and dinner are prepared by our cook.
Previous years Skillbuilders built the “Chillage,” our hang-out space for participants adjacent to the kitchen area with a Rumford fireplace and storage spaces for personal items.
The big yurt on the property is used for gatherings, council, celebrations and presentations….and OUR library.
The Healing Sanctuary will be available according to summer schedules.

Surrounding area and extended community

OUR ECOVILLAGE is situated near Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island. The immediate area invites hiking, boating, cycling, and swimming (good to consider bringing a bike for local trips). Weekend trips can reach Strathcona Park, the west coast of the island, the Gulf islands, Victoria and Vancouver.
The closest communities for shopping and services are Mill Bay, Shawnigan Lake, Cobble Hill and the town of Duncan.  Public transport reaches as close as Shawnigan Lake, appr.30 Minutes walking distance from O.U.R.ECOVILLAGE.
Our climate has a dry season from June to October. Temperatures reach upper 20s Celsius but cool down at night.

Worktrade Apprenticeship Cost

$1500 – 3 month program onsite
($600 for whole 3 months if living offsite)

$3000 – 6 month program onsite
($1200 for whole 6 months if living offsite)

$100 registration fee

• This cost is to cover all camp, meals, cook, and general site costs (upkeep and maintenance of common space used by apprentices)

This program may be for you if:
You want to learn natural building hands-on within Code certified processes.
You want to experience community living as well
You are mature, know your learning style, have good work ethics, are physically fit (not necessarily young), are willing to be personally involved with others and practice good communication,
You are tolerant, take responsibility, and generally enjoy life.

How to apply:

Please send us

• Completed registration form
• Your resume/ curriculum vitae
• A vision statement talking about your intent for the program and how it relates to your life path
• $100 processing fee (non refundable)

(Canadian cheque or international money order in Canadian funds payable to O.U.R. Community Association)
You can send your application by e-mail to ourbrandy@shaw.ca & elke@cobworks.com
We also recommend sending a hard copy with your processing fee, because e-mails have not reached us in the past. Our mailing Address is:

 O.U.R.ECOVILLAGE
 Att.: Natural Building Passport Skillbuilder
 Box 530
 Shawnigan Lake, BC
 V0R2W0
 Canada 

Natural Builder’s Fall Practicum

Here is an opportunity for builders who have taken a natural building training program or apprenticeship (min. two week workshop) and wish to gain further experience. We will continue completion work on the summer projects at O.U.R.ECOVILLAGE, which may include cob, bale and plasterwork, roof construction, and definitely general clean-up and winterizing.

Focus will be on developing efficiency and productivity, as well as quality. We expect self-motivation, participation in teamwork, and positive work attitude.
Shorter timeframes or work-trades are not available.

Cost: $ 800 Can. covers camping, food and mentoring

Past and this year’s participants of O.U.R.ECOVILLAGE programs (PLAN B or Natural Building Skillbuilder) receive a discount- please inquire.

To apply please write to Elke: elke@cobworks.com and ourbrandy@shaw.ca
Describe your training, construction skills and experience and any other skills you bring.

Click Here for the Application Form

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