Lilac Window

The family that did the last workshop actually painted two pieces. This is the second one measuring 4′ x 2′. Now the memory of the event can be on the walls of both homes! Cool little matching set.

I want to update about some other topics of interest. I have sort of been out of the architecture loop. But I am still doing my best to learn little by little about sustainable building. OUR eco village just posted its summer calendar, and I would love to to the straw bale course… we’ll see. Also I have been looking into Rammed earth. Such a beautiful medium.

So, its not light clay, nor straw bale, or cob… but it is a house that I helped with. In Edmonton last weekend we were able to visit the finished product. I actually had little to do with this house. It is mostly designed by the builder. I did the initial sketches to describe the basic form, roof shapes and finishes. All that was essentially wrapped around the developer’s plans. My “client” was looking for something more modern and contemporary than the other homes that the builder was doing in the neighborhood. So, here it is. Granted, its hard to say I designed it when I was so far removed, but its also nice to see  a little sketch make such an impact. It definitely stands out on the street as unique. And I dare say, it also looks more “architecturally designed”.

So, if anyone out there is looking for some sketches and a little design-love on your house… Im yo’ lady!

so, I was right. There was a little burn out going on. Marcel woke up with a runny nose, and a cough. Luckily we are staying in a house in Courtenay where we can just vegetate for the day, and let the little guy rest up. So, thats just what we did.

While the bodies were resting, my mind was going a hundred miles an hour. I’ve been stewing over a little idea, and I gotta share some of it.

Frankly I’ve been a little overwhelmed about my career. In my experience there is a big obstacle when it comes to architecture and thats the fact that buildings are big, and expensive. So many people may have great design ideas, and never actually see them in the world because they just cant ever get someone to build it. 

There are many reasons you dont see lots of great archtecturalized homes out there. Its not just that architects are expensive, and people dont value design…its simply the time factor. Most people will only ever be able to afford one house and one mortgage at a time. If they want to design a unique home, they have to pay rent, or hold a second mortgage while its being built. Most folks just cant do that. Thats why developers can build the crap that they do, and it still gets bought, because the product is offered as a complete package. Developers put the cost upfront, and most designers, or architects just dont have the money to do that.

The other issue I have been thinking about is that most natural build methods are high in labour and time, and lower in material costs. This scenario just doesnt work in the traditional construction industry. Time costs more than anything, and there is a race to get things done as fast as possible. This means great sacrifices in design, and in product. It also means things like cob, and light clay would never make it as a profit making solution.

I also am interested in the resource that stay- at – home mom’s offer. Being one myself, I know how difficult it is to consider going back to work, when you cant find child care, but also how hard it is to be at home, its lonely and you also want to help you family financially. I also find you crave a sense of community. 

So, I was thinking of a scenario where a tight knit group of stay-at home moms, pool their resources, to look after children, and “renovate” or recycle a house. They could split the mortgage payments, and when it is resold, they could split the profits.

In this scenario there is no individual sub-trades who come and go from the site, but everyone sees the project through to the end. Which means the product is better and there is more joy and pride in doing it. Also the learning is greater because everyone sees the whole picture.

Also, the advantage that the women have is that, they can work without seeing the money until the end. In most cases, there is a huge upfront labour cost that is prohibitive. (though understandable… everyone needs to eat…) In this case you have a group of people, whose basic needs are met by their working partners. This way, they can put their time in, and receive a large sum of money in the end. Also, there is no insane deadline to meet because the longer it takes, the more the mortgage is paid, and the more people will get back in the end.

It also means that there will be a greater product to offer. You can sell a home that is stronger, more beautiful, and carefully built than anything offered in the suburbs. Its completely finished, and hand crafted, yet because it is a recycled building it is not at the edge of town.

I got lots more ideas, about it – in decision making, planning, design, financial outlines, scheduling, sharing cooking and childcare, and in marketing and selling the finished house. But I think thats enough for now. 

There are plenty of houses in Courtenay that would be just perfect…

Now down to the nitty gritty. 

This is a cob outhouse. I really want to learn more about the logistics of composting toilets. At Rivendell there are two. 

The one in the picture is a cob structure that has a humanure composting toilet inside. It is yet to be finished and that is why there is a plastic roof. The idea is that the waste will sit for at least a year so that it will properly decompose before being used as compost. The other out house is another type of composting toilet that uses perforated tubes to keep the waste aerated. These also have to sit for a year before being used in the garden.

We finally made it to the river today. Swimming in the river felt so amazing. I feel like I’ve finally arrived, and that our holiday is seeping deeper into my being. I cant believe we’ve been gone almost 2 weeks! Its actually taken this long to finally relax.

We visited the Duncan Market today, which was really great. Our friends were playing in the Marimba band, which was awesome to listen to. Such happy sounds!

Oh, yes, there is yet another amazing building here at Rivendell. This is a mongolian yurt, that has been made semi-permanent with a beautiful hard wood floor, and wood foundation.

And yes, I was lucky enough to have my paintings hang in this amazing space. 

I took the photo of the inside, both to show off my paintings, and also to get across just how lovely and warm the space is inside. 

The Yurt is a round building, made of small wood elements and a fabric covering. It is semi-portable, and tent-like. This one has a round skylight in the middle, which brings in beautiful daylight. It is nestled in the woods, and the open windows, with insect-screens create a most scerene place to spend the afternoon.

The person who owns Rivendell, is an old friend, and she uses this space to teach Qi Gong. It is also used for music and some other movement classes. 

These Yurts are mass -produced and I have seen a few examples of them. This one is particularly lovely because it is tenderly cared for. It has a pellet stove, which is amazingly efficient and burns saw-dust waste from the local mills. The beautifully soft floor begs for your feet to dance, and babies to crawl around. There are not many other places I would love to have my art work hang. What an honor.

Here is another most beautiful space at Rivendell. This room was actually transformed from a two car garage, to become a living space for guests and family. It has been warmly inhabited by a beautiful family, who have made the space functional, warm, and inspiring. 

The walls are painted with a home-made milk paint, involving milk, pigment and clay. I actually helped to paint the room, many years ago, by hand with a brush, in many layers. The resulting affect is a rich, textured look, that resembles a woven fabric. The floors are oiled hardwood, and the windows and doors were build with cedar. All the other trims and finished were brought in over time to make the space a home.

The four corners of the space are designated for different functions, the bedroom, office and living room, kitchen and fire. Hanging cloth, a set of drawers and handmade wood furniture are used to create division and a little privacy. Attention to detail, small ideas and creative solutions for living in a small space are everywhere. The use of natural materials, in the toys, furniture and construction creates the warm, gentle and soothing environment.

We visited O.U.R. eco village today. The village is a learning center for sustainable living.

I was excited to go here, because I have yet to find many other places where this type of learning is shared in a formal way. As you know I have an interest in education as well as architecture.

We arrived at lunch time and got to share our meal with some interns and some residents. The eating shack is a cob building with seating, windows and a fireplace build right into the clay walls. I cant tell you too much about cob, except that it is clay, it is built up by hand and sculpted as you go. The forms can be as organic and curvilinear as you like. It is not expensive, but the labor time is extensive and thats the limiting factor for a lot of people.

At Eco village they focus on training, so the buildings are quite small, because they are projects a class can accomplish in a week. I also learned that cob is not as good an insulator as light clay as it is more massive, and still by far, the most insulative material is straw bale. Although all three can be used in combination, depending on directionality, and design. The image in the picture is the sanctuary, and it is a combination of cob and straw bale.

My favorite little building was the children’s play building, that is a small shelter with a green roof, that is used to section off a part of the garden for a sandbox and play area. They had fenced off the little space with greenery and it was such a pretty, safe and central place for the kids to play. The little cob structure was colorful and sweet, and also I think that organic form makes a lot of sense for kids.

The center also has incredible gardens, and some livestock  - pigs, sheep, chickens and turkeys. There are permaculture classes going on while we were walking around. 

We didn’t have much of a chance to ask questions as the boys kept us busy, but I got the sense that I would love to come back for a future workshop, particularly in straw bale. Check their website if you are interested in taking a course as well.

Day 8

hello my loves.

Well. I  have such a precious gift to share with you.  I don’t know how to present it. This building,  is a labour of love. It is a living, breathing example of community building, light clay construction, japanese timber frame, heart and soul.

Patrick Amos, a light clay builder spoke with me all evening about the clay, about the building process, about community, about the work of making shelter. Yeah, we had a wonderful evening – and a lot to to talk about.

This building can’t be shared in a simple post, but I mean to give a little info about it – some generalizations. 

Light clay is a mixture of clay and wood shavings that is pressed into forms to make walls. A double stud technique was developed for this building where the clay can pass between the studs, creating a solid clay wall.

The benefits of clay include its ability to equalize both the temperature and humidity in a space. Just breathing in the air in this space gives you an idea of the power of the clay. It has an incredible calming affect – not just as it is being handled and used for building, but as a finished wall. It balances and settles energies. Light clay is used in Germany and Japan, although is very uncommon here in North America. sadly.

The workshop is used as a studio for Moonrise music – drum production. Chris Bertin makes incredible musical instruments within the walls. I cant wait to share more about him and his family who create such magic here. 

The second floor is a housed within a Japanese timber framed roof. The wood space is used as a studio, yoga swing demonstration room, sewing space and recording studio. The place is flooded with art and creativity.

As I said, I will bring you more about this building as there is great learning and knowledge within it. 

Inspiration.

I cant tell you how excited I am to bring you this post. 

One of the reasons we decided to do this trip is so that I can do research in sustainable building practices out here. I want to bring you information about little projects that have yet to be documented and shared with the world. This will be the first. I want to do proper write- ups and research on these buildings, perhaps leading to some sort of publication…but for now you get my field notes, and my thoughts. 

The cabin is a small building currently used for guests, or for growing teenagers who arent quite ready to leave home. The purpose behind the building was to allow extra space, without requiring a building permit, or permanent foundations. It is a simple structure, with no connections, but with a designated place for a wood stove in the future. 

This is an example of sustainable building, prefabrication, modular building and recycled building. It is also a simple form that is inviting, and functional. It smells amazing, due to the use of cedar.

This is the innovation of a local builder (Phil Carson from Coombs) who has found a way to use the off cuts from the the mills. He takes the 3′ boards and builds double sided panels which he fills with insulation. These panels are then repeated, as walls, floor or as roof pieces. The entire exterior and interior of the building is then wood, and doesnt require finishing. The insulation is a loose fill, that is made from recycled materials, and that “breaths”, eliminating the need for a vapor barrier. The modular system allows for doors and windows to fit into the panels. The gabled ends are fenestrated for views. The finished exterior roof is covered with standing seam aluminum for water seal. The panels themselves are supported by square posts that have been cut with slots, so that there is no need for any more structure.

The little cabin is meant to be portable, and the floor has minimal insulation. The biggest complaint is that is can be cold in winter and there is a draft coming from the floor.

This modular, prefabricated, recycled building concept is totally fascinating to me. I love the use of natural materials and how simple the building components are, with infinite variations. This inspires me to look into the waste material of any industry and to see how they can be used for building components. I love how the use of one 3′ board becomes the basis of the entire building. The whole concept of this structure is a source of inspiration to me, never mind the fact that it is so simple and beautiful to experience.