Straw Clay Retrofit – Village Building Convergence 2011

This year at the VBC,
Eva led the second phase of a light straw clay retrofit in SE Portland
at the Planet Repair Institute!

Light Straw Clay technology has been used for centuries!
People love the low cost, low toxicity, and its use of sustainable, native and locally available materials!

Over a ten day period, with hands on learning, I taught students how to make and use straw-clay effectively and efficiently to build insulated walls. (See also last year’s post.)

Participants learned about Larson truss framing, and the many facets of mixing and installing straw clay and cob for both interior and exterior settings. We all enjoyed the incredible benefits of this natural building technique as we retrofitted a previously poorly insulated Portland home! I returned later with students to put a base coat plaster on all the walls. Next year at the VBC I will lead the finish plaster, aliz, and sculptural details on this project with Molly Murphy of the Mud Girls.

And good news! Light straw clay has now been approved by the City of Portland! This is Portland’s pilot project! Click here to see the info from ATAC about permitting this technique...

More about the Village Building Convergence…
More about the Planet Repair Institute…

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