A Practical Introduction to Natural Building – Straw Bale, Clay Plaster, Lime Plaster

This hands-on, 3-day course at Tod College, Todmorden, is designed to give you a solid foundation in straw bale building, clay plastering, and lime plastering. Whether you're taking your first step toward a career in natural building, planning your own project, or simply eager to work with sustainable materials, this course provides the practical experience you need to move forward with confidence.

This course welcomes folks of all building abilities, and our training sites are renowned for attracting wonderful, welcoming people, so you'll feel at home on this course no matter whether you're a beginner or an experienced craftsperson.

ABOUT THE COURSE:

This workshop based course is firmly hands-on, giving participants the chance to build and plaster in a controlled environment, working collaboratively. Intended to give you the feel for straw bales and natural plasters and spark your journey in Natural Building.

PRICE:

The course fee covers all teaching, materials, handouts and contributes to the hire of the workshop space. We encourage participants to join the whole course for a holistic introduction, but individual days are available for specific interests. 

We endeavour to make our courses and events affordable to all. If you cannot afford the cost of the course, please get in contact to see how we can accommodate you.

See full Terms and Conditions here.

ABOUT YOUR TRAINERS

Sib Trigg is an architect who graduated from the School of Natural Building in 2018. They are currently training as a furniture maker at the Building Crafts College in London and regularly teach construction skills to people of all ages. Sib has many years’ experience in earth building such as cob, light straw clay and earth bricks, as well as strawbale building, clay plastering and site carpentry. Sib’s design practice focuses on sharing knowledge and increasing dialogue around current issues in the built environment, including housing, economics and long-term environmental sustainability.

Barbara is the founder of SNaB (@schoolofnaturalbuilding), and the UK’s pre-eminent straw-bale building authority. She has decades of experience in natural building and cement-free foundations and works as a designer, builder and trainer. Her book, 'Building with Straw Bales; A Practical Manual for Self-Builders and Architects' is considered the essential guide to building with straw. As a lifetime builder and trainer, Barbara thinks she has the best job in the world!

REPRESENTATION:

The School of Natural Building is a not-for-profit BenCom, set up to benefit communities, and doesn't receive external funding. However, we believe in driving representation within the construction and building industry, and price our courses as fairly as we can to ensure that they remain accessible. Our prices include tuition, all materials, tools and equipment, (bring your own packed lunch or enjoy local options in Tod!).

ACCESS (Tod College):

Following a 5-year campaign, this former vocational college was transferred into community ownership from Calderdale Council in 2021. The centre functions as a community hub and learning centre, with a focus on sustainability. The building is fully accessible and boasts a variety of spaces for all sorts of uses. The college is a short walk from Todmorden station, which has regular direct trains to Manchester (25 mins) and Leeds (1 hour). There is car parking space at the college and locally.

TRANSPORTATION:

The School of Natural Building believes in the urgency of the climate challenge, and our work is fundamentally about supporting a low-carbon future where people live in ways which bring us closer to the earth, back into community with our ecosystem and back to ourselves. For this reason, we urge participants to travel to our course locations via public or shared transport where possible. We'll connect course participants via a voluntary WhatsApp group in advance of the course, to facilitate ride-sharing.

BOOKING:

There are limited places on this course, and booking is essential. Please use the button below to pay and secure your place. Please note that for insurance reasons, all participants must be 16 or over. We look forward to meeting you, but if you have any questions ahead of attending, please email hello@schoolofnaturalbuilding.co.uk.