earth workshop
Module 1 - July 24 and 25
Module 2 - August 7 and 8
SCHOOL OF LEARNING AND ECOLOGICAL EXPERIENCES FOR A SUSTAINABLE LIFE "TURA"
- SAN ANTONIO ORGANIC FARM -
Welcome to the "Taller de la Tierra", a space to learn this beautiful technique of Super Adobe, in the work of bioconstruction.
A shovel, tubular bags, barbed wire, and the dirt under your feet is all it takes to build with dirt bags. The method offers more structural integrity than adobe, more plasticity than rammed earth, and more speed in construction than Cob. Although Super Adobe is new compared to these older construction methods, it offers superior economy and durability in domes and vaulted assemblies.
return to earth
With great admiration and respect for each and every one of the traditions that have carried the knowledge of this beautiful medicine and beautiful heritage that dates back to pre-Hispanic times and that increasingly extends beyond borders, we extend a cordial invitation to be part of the construction workshop with Super Adobe for the construction of a temazcal.
Due to the demands of society, we are forgetting the instructions of our grandparents on how to live on Earth, the temazcal can be, apart from an excellent therapy, a window to consciousness, recognizing the importance of respect for our environment but mainly giving a look towards the spiritual being. Defining spirituality as the intimate relationship with myself, with others and with the planet.
WHAT IS THIS WORKSHOP ABOUT?
In this theoretical and practical workshop, the tools and basic knowledge will be provided so that you can create small structures with super adobe with your own hands.
We will learn to identify the different types of soil and how to stabilize them, in order to create “hardened bags of earth” to build a temazcal that will serve as a space for healing and purification baths.
There will be two modules of one weekend each, where we will work in community from the foundations to the final finishes.
bioconstruction
Earth as a building material is available in anywhere and in abundance.
Its advantages are multiple. And although it was the most primitive houses that were built with raw earth, these techniques are not a thing of the past: today, one-third to one-half of the world's population lives in earthen houses. In places where it is traditional, it is maintained, and in some countries experiences continue to be carried out and its applications are investigated even at the level of multi-family or prefabricated construction.
This is good news for the environment and more responsible construction!
land for life
ANDhe mud is a material produced by Mother Nature. No chemical processing or energy is needed in its production. Consequently, it is probably the most renewable, sustainable and ecological construction material that exists in the world! It is also 100% recyclable!
As it is non-toxic, it is good for you, it can be applied with bare hands, allowing you full and pleasant contact with the material.
Good reasons to work with Superadobe
🌿simplicity:
Earthbag construction uses the ancient technique of rammed earth combining it with bags or woven bags as a flexible form.
Another advantage of the earthbags is the tensile strength due to the use of 4-point barbed wire. It's a kind of double tensile force on each row (the combination of the polybags and the barbed wire) that isn't evident in most other forms of earthen construction.
🌿Built-in stabilizer:
The textile form (bag!) encloses the raw soil even when fully saturated. Actually, the bag can be considered a "mechanical stabilizer" rather than a chemical stabilizer.
🌿Community Empowerment:
Earthbag construction employs people instead of products. The technique uses the strength of the minga, with the abundance of earth
WHAT IS THE
SUPERADOBE?
It is a ground roll, instantaneous and flexible line generator. Superadobe uses the materials of war, earthbags and barbed wire, for peaceful purposes, integrating traditional earthen architecture with contemporary global security requirements.
THE FINAL PROJECT
For this super adobe workshop divided into two modules, we will build a temazcal 4 meters in diameter and a circular bench around the fire; from the foundations, the waterproofing of the first coils, filling and compacting the bags, the installation of the barbed wire, to the different types of plaster, waterproofing and paints.
WE WILL MAKE USE OF OUR FINAL PROJECT FOR EVERYTHING!
At the end of the workshop, the participants will be able to build with their own hands small structures such as benches, planters, borders, cellars, dry baths and temazcales; all this with superadobe.
Where will the Workshop be?
San Antonio Organic Farm is a life project, led by Marisol Gallegos, it is located in the Intag Valley; It is a paradisiacal place just one hour from Cotacachi, in the province of Imbabura - Ecuador.
160ha of primary and secondary forest is part of the Finca's biological reserve.
The cloud forest of the Intag Valley is one of the two most diverse places in the world!
Knowing this reserve is an experience to let you marvel at a natural event of millions of years of formation of the Ecuadorian Andes, creating a mega diverse habitat for flora and fauna to express themselves in surprising ways.
The proximity to the wonder of this mega diverse place allows us to experience the most powerful beats of the earth, reminding us that we are alive...
FOR WHOM IS THIS WORKSHOP AIMED?
🌿This workshop is aimed at all people who are looking for tools for empowerment, sovereignty and self-sufficiency.
🌿People looking to rescue and use the earth as a constructive and decorative element.
🌿 University architecture students.
🌿Students and professionals in bio construction
🌿Communities and/or groups looking for natural, healthy and economic alternatives for the construction of their homes and environments.
WHAT WILL WE TAKE FROM THIS EXPERIENCE?
🌿At the end of the workshop you will be able to appreciate the earth as a healthy, economical and natural element to build and decorate.
🌿You will be able to identify different types of soil and how to stabilize them
🌿You will learn how to fill the coils, compact them and install barbed wire to generate stable and solid super adobe walls.
🌿 You will have the experience of plastering, sealing, waterproofing and painting the structure.
😬🙃🙂
All this in an environment of camaraderie and community work to end with a purification bath for body, mind and spirit.
Build to grow!
🙋🏻Meet your guides 🙋🏻♀️
Jose Luis Garces
My interest in bio construction was born from a spirituality meeting that took place in 2016 in Medellín - Colombia. I was in the break of the various activities of this meeting and I saw a participant on his laptop looking at photos of various echo domes; I approached him and he very kindly told me about this construction technique with stabilized earthbags and invited me to take a training session in Bogotá.
There I had my first approach to bioconstruction and after 3 months I invited him to give another workshop in my country (Ecuador). From that point on he began a wonderful journey of discovery, application and construction of this technique. My first projects were benches and temazcales, then together with my partner we built cabins and bunkers.
Until that point we made a pseudo bio construction since we did not know the natural plasters and we plastered our domes with cement and sand (concrete). It was not until 2011 that I met Xavi Dolls from Spain, he taught me to work with clay and other natural elements to work natural plasters, both thick and thin, as well as reliefs with straw and mud.
Since then I have combined the super adobe technique with the mud and along the way several master builders have appeared who have expanded my knowledge and experience of the use of various elements, both natural and synthetic to improve to the mud
Marisol Gallegos
Active practitioner of agroecology, beekeeping, biodynamics and vegetarian/vegan cooking.
Coordinator and founder of the San Antonio Organic Farm, in the Intag Valley.
My commitment responds to a philosophy of life, to a more natural way of living; San Antonio is the confirmation that it is possible to generate practices of respect and communion with nature that honor life, here in the primary and secondary forest I propose a place and space for learning, healing and nourishment of the soul through the therapies offered and of the body and through organic vegetarian food harvested at the moment from our garden.
This is an experience of individual healing that can be shared, only healing ourselves, re-finding ourselves with nature, we contribute to the collective healing of the planet.
Workshop Agenda
Module 1 - July 24 and 25
🌳Introduction to super adobe
🌳Types of land
🌳Stabilization tests
🌳Designs and shapes inspired by nature
🌳Cutting, filling and compacting coils
🌳Barbed wire as tension element and mortar
🌳Central compass and height compass
🌳Closing of domes
🌳Preparation of the structure for plastering
🌳How to choose the best type of plaster
🌳Rendered with cement, sand and additives
🌳Milk of lime and additives to seal
🌳Paintings
🌳Conclusions and closing of the workshop
Module 2 - August 7 and 8
workshop values
Workshop value:
$280.00 (prompt payment until Sunday, July 11)
Final value:
$300.00 starting Monday, July 12.
Individual modules:
$150.00
These values include food, lodging and support material.
*Does not include transportation
Volunteer project:
If you want two continuous weeks of learning as a volunteer, we invite you to sign up forthrough our direct contact:099 897 6364In this case, you would only cancel the value of food and lodging, corresponding to the days of the training.