Discover the beauty and empowerment of building low impact. Readily available low-cost natural materials are there to be used. From a straw-bale shed, multi-story in earth, or a brewery in lime/hemp, the versatility of natural materials is wide.
I am interested in natural building materials and techniques as in straw, earth, lime/hemp, and light earth construction. I have been involved in a number of projects and have researched and lectured extensively on the subject.
We received planning permission for a straw-bale classroom in 2011. This was the first commercial straw-bale structure to get planning in Ireland.
Though I do get people enquiring about using natural building techniques for one-off dwellings, the majority come from those wishing to add a small extension, garden shed, play house, recording studio, etc using low-cost natural materials and techniques.
Lime Hemp Building: Lime has been used as the preferred binder of building materials in many cultures throughout history.
Strawbale Building: Straw-bale construction is a building method that uses bales of straw (commonly wheat, rice, rye, and oats straw) as structural elements, building insulation, or both.
Green Roofs: Green roofing is a way to create a contained green space on top of a structure to support drainage, thermal performance, and the environment.
Earth Building: Materials such as cob offer flexibility, strength, energy efficiency, and support environmental balance and health.
You can learn more about natural building through the variety of courses I offer.
