[Fwd: Cob: Latin America workshop]

[SANCO Enterprises <Paul & Mary Salas>]

List Members,

Since we don't often hear about natural building activities in Latin
America, the following message was translated into English for those who
maybe interested.


Alejandro Ascanio wrote:

Four Days to Play with Earth

First Workshop for Construction with Cob in Venezuela

(Second Notice)

For all those that desire to live in harmony among ourselves and our
environment, the necessity arises to glance back to the past and to
rediscover in our heritage the tools to create physical living spaces
that adapt to our present economic existence thanks to the natural
materials these homes are full of health and life so we can live
compatibly with our mother earth.

In an effort to contribute to sustainable human development,  the
Experimental Foundation for Publication and Ecological Development
(FEDDE), the Network of Ecology of America (ENA) and the Latin American
Institute of Permaculture (ILP)  host the "First  Workshop for
Construction with Cob in Venezuela ", an event that will be held at the
Tovar Colony on Friday November 26 to Monday November 29, 1999.

Hands in the Mud

Being one of the so many traditional systems for construction with
earth, cob is similar to adobe however, it is characterized to have
greater durability and resistance. Thus old world structures are a
testimony to the building method with some more than five hundred years
old and some even thirteen stories high. Of English origin, the word
refers to a mix of earth, sand and straw molded by hand that once set,
it works like a resistant monolith to rain.

It is a technique that is easy to learn, does not require sophisticated
tools and it is of low cost, therefore the philosophy is the use on-site
resources. This makes cob a non-polluting system that remains in harmony
with the energies of its surroundings.

Sculpting the Mud... (objective)

The main objective of the workshop is to build the walls of a room with
molded cob and include window bucks, headers, benches and other
structural elements. In the process, one learns to select and take
advantage of the materials of the bio-region, prepare the mud mixture,
test material resistance, terracing, framing, structural principals,
physical and environmental considerations for sanitation and electrical
facilities, principles of siting the building with respect to the sun,
survey to take advantage of the site location and the principles of Feng
Shui.


Who will Live the Experience...

The Workshop is directed to governmental and non-governmental
organizations related to the development or physical improvement of
communities, to students and professionals of construction; architects
and environmentalists; to all those that want to initiate a ecological
community.


Facilitators:

We will count on the experience of Aaron Edlin (E.E.U.U) specialists in
ecological construction, and Sergio Jasso (Mexico) schooled in holistic
medicine (discipline that contemplates to man to integrate body, mind
and spirit) in the Center of Human Development HolísticTranspersonal, he
decided to dedicate himself to the construction with earth as an
alternative lifestyle since " our home is our third skin " and our
mental and physical health is affected by our surroundings. Of the eight
years of experience in construction, he has dedicated the last three
years exclusively to natural building. Both have worked together in
places like New Mexico, Washington, Oregon, and the Ecological School of
Huhuecóyotl in the state of Morelos, Mexico

Information:

The cost is of 135,000.00 Bs. It includes transportation to the site,
two daily meals, refreshments, roofed area for sleeping and printed
workshop material. All participants will receive an attendance
certificate.

Prior to sending money, call us to confirm your reservation (space is
limited) and funds must be received prior to Monday November 22, 1999
c/o Oswaldo Vernet in the Cta. Cte. of Provincial Bank no.:
0108-0027-0100277899

                               F E D D E

                 aleph at telcel.net.ve | oavm at mixmail.com

                    (5816) 613 03 58 - Oswaldo Vernet


(582) 763 67 29 ; Fax: (582) 243 29 24- Alejandro Ascanio

Paul Salas
SANCO Enterprises, LLC
Rio Rancho, NM