A Practical Introduction to Natural Building – Straw, Clay, Lime: Brighton

This hands-on, 3-day course at at SMART Sheds Brighton, 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 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.

Please make sure you arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the course starting!

ABOUT YOUR TRAINER:
Salli Gosling is a graduate of SNaB’s prestigious training programme, and since graduating has taught on many of SNaB’s courses, to great acclaim. She has a background in education and teaching, and is well-equipped to ensure that participants have a wonderful learning experience. Working as a natural builder for ten years, Salli is currently building her own large workshop from straw-bales and is planning a straw rebuild of the family home within the next year.

BOOKING:
The course fee covers all teaching, materials, handouts and refreshments. 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.

ACCESS:
We welcome participants of all physical abilities and neurotypes, and aim to make our courses as accessible and inclusive as possible. As course sites and learning environments vary, we encourage anyone with specific access needs or requirements to get in touch so we can discuss how best to support your participation.

ACCOMMODATION:
You are welcome to camp on-site - just pick your spot and pitch up. We have hot showers and can lend you a tent. Everything is offered on a “pay-as-you-feel” basis - all donations help fund the Charity’s work. The site has toilets and hot showers available. 

TRANSPORTATION:

The 77 bus runs from outside SMART Sheds to Brighton Station and the seafront. It takes about 20 minutes to get into town. There are also good walking routes to Hove and Portslade that take around 25 minutes. We have limited parking onsite but there are public car parks nearby and taxis are available. There is also some parking in a lay-by car-park very close by.

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.

The School of Natural Building is a not-for-profit BenCom established for community benefit and receives no external funding. We price our courses as fairly as possible to support accessibility and representation in the building industry.

For course questions and enquiries please contact us on hello@schoolofnaturalbuilding.co.uk