The Womens Natural building Collective

Natural Building Workshop!

July 3rd - July 8th 2023

Come and join us for a fun and fully packed interactive learning experience to discover the art of Natural Building in a safe and supportive environment for all, we accommodate for any age and physical abilities.

What is Natural Building?

Natural building is about reconnecting with our ancestral roots and understanding our natural environment. It’s about building beautiful, durable, healthy, functional and spiritually uplifting buildings as well as building relationships with people and the planet along the way. It’s about observing, thoughtfully designing and respecting the world around us, consciously using local, renewable and sustainable materials to create buildings that work in harmony with the inhabitants and the environment the structure belongs to.

Who are we?

The WNBC is a collective of experienced women builders living and working in Southern Portugal. We build unique natural structures that respond to their environment whilst also creating job opportunities and a training programme to empower women with the skills to build. We are mothers, partners, earth stewards; we share a deep passion for building, for creating a more balanced and healthy planet and for installing our next generation with the skills, knowledge and passion to look after it.

Who is the workshop for?

This workshop is open to anyone who has a passion and interest to learn how to build with local, natural materials, using renewable resources and ancient techniques, in a fun and supported environment. We welcome people of any age and physical ability; no one is excluded from building with earth, we embrace our diversity and differences, our strengths and weaknesses; we can all play an important role in the building process no matter how big or small.

We teach in a way that is open to all learning styles and abilities, with interactive group work, theory classes and lots of hands on learning, we have many years of experience in teaching and holding the space for people to feel safe and supported.

This workshop is also for the personal development of each participant, for you to walk away with lots of new knowledge and skills, to feel inspired and empowered to continue to build with natural materials and with the ethics of ecological house design, but to also feel you have grown individually, that the knowledge you gain will open up new possibilities in your life.

What will you learn?

We will teach both theory and practical sessions, integrate tons of hands on learning and throw in some handouts, movies and slide show presentations too

We will have optional morning yoga, stretches and games,and evenings together to share, eat, dance (if you wish)and get to know one another.

You will learn how to:

Test clay sub-soils and use the results to create the perfect earth mix
Learn about ecological house design and application
Make adobe bricks
Mix and work with cob in many different forms
Mix and build with wattle and daub
Learn about slip straw and how it is applied
Learn how to use and work with a variety of power tools
Understand the use of wood and how to apply it into a building
Create beautiful artwork and sculptures with earth and glass
Learn about natural plasters and paints

There will be some theory sessions about:

Ecological House Design – how to design energy efficient homes in connection with your climate
Natural Building Theory – How it all works and why

About the host!

We will be staying at Aquinta da lage, please check out this incredible project....www.aquinta.org/, a beautiful 160 hectare regenerative farm that focuses on off grid living and delivering an array of hands on workshops throughout the year. The farm is an inspiring example of how to create a homestead, raise animals, grow organic food, create alternative energy, build natural homes and live and work as a community.

Aquinta da lage is located in the rolling hills of Alentejo, surrounded by cork trees and wild nature. 1km from Aquinta is a small village called Troviscais, with a little cafe. A further 5km from this village is the bigger town of Sao Luis which has lots of amenities, pharmacy, bank, bakery, restaurants etc. 20km from the site you are on the beautiful beaches around Vila Nova De Milfontes

Meet the team!

Click here to learn about the course facilitators

Food

We will be eating fresh, local, vegetarian (with vegan options always available) meals 3 times a day which will be lovingly prepared by Tati and our support crew. If you have any allergies please let us know in advance so we can accommodate your needs

Accommodation

We can offer accommodation in either shared bell tents or female/male dormitories, all come with pilow, duvet and towel. Participants are also able to bring their own camping equipment or camper vans onto the site. All accommodation comes at no extra costs.

Price:

The fee for the workshop is 510 euros

The price includes all meals and refreshments, accommodation, transportation to and from the site (from Sao Luis or Cercal), the course tuition and a handmade handout covering the course material. .

We ask participants to arrive before 13h00 on July 3rd for a welcoming lunch, settling in and getting to know each other. Info regarding transportation etc will be sent after registration in our info pack

Deposit:

We ask all registrants to make a deposit of €100 per person to secure their spot, and the remaining fees be paid on arrival. Please email us at womensnaturalbuilding@gmail.com to register

Please Note:

In the unlikely event of us canceling the course, your deposit will be refunded in full; additionally, we will not be held responsible for any other financial losses occurred.

Deposits are non-refundable if you choose to cancel. If cancellation is made 1 week prior to the course start date we ask for a contribution of 50% of the course fee to cover our losses. We will accept late bookings if there is space available.

Contact information:

Please feel free to email us with any questions or enquiries on womensnaturalbuilding@gmail.com

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