California Straw Building Association

presents the

Plastering Straw Bales with Lime Cement

Workshop November 23-24, 2019

Learn how to plaster over straw bales at the Seeds of Life Chapel in Tracy, California. This is a two day workshop which will focus on the techniques of plastering on a wood framed, straw bale insulated rounded building under construction which will soon serve as a community chapel. In this workshop, you will get hands on with the scratch and brown coat of plaster. We will discuss about the techniques and benefits of building with straw bales and plaster. Participants will get a chance to measure and mix the plaster, trowel it on the bale walls, shape around niches, windows & doors, and managing the curing process. A mix of instruction time and hands-on experience will provide you with the basic knowledge of plastering a straw bale building to start your own project. Evenings and meal times will allow for additional question/answer time and presentations.

This chapel is being built by Skillful Means, a design build firm out of Berkeley, CA. Amanda Fischer and Myles Dansforth of Muddy Hands & Reclamations Natural Building Inc, will be instructing. They are a natural and sustainable design-build team out of Nevada City. Instruction during the workshop will cover the basics of building with plaster on bales, integrating structure into building skins, weathering the rains, designing for ease and elegance, effective construction detailing, carbon sequestering building materials, environmentally conscious building and more. To learn more about the final layer of plaster, join us for our upcoming Finish Plaster Workshop on December 14-15 in El Sobrante.  

The goal of the workshop is to accommodate every participant’s interest and skill level. Each participant can expect to participate in the various aspects of plastering to ensure the broadest possible hands-on experience.

Cost:   $80. 

Accommodations:

Simple meals, beverages and snacks are included in the workshop fee and will be provided in the community dining area. We will have a washing area and toilet facilities. If you are coming from a distance, we have a some guest rooms available on the site for $30 and space for camping (free). There are limited hotels/motels in the area.  Information to these will be provided when requested. Site location, driving directions and other information are provided with confirmation of registration.

For additional workshop info contact Jenna Yu at jenna@skillful-means.com or 510-541-7753.

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