From the 13th to the 20th of July, IPEC hosts a course called
BioConstruindo. This course offers the participants a variety
of hands on natural building techniques. The mornings consist
of different classes in which the participants learn a particular
building method in depth. These classes run from two to five days
in length and the participants must sign up beforehand. The afternoons
are open for different workshops. These are set up in a round
robin style, thus allowing the students movement in order to learn
as many techniques as possible in a practical manner. This year’s
building methods are:
- Making Adobe blocks (One of the oldest architecture techniques,
a mixture of sand and clay soil is formed into square shapes
and allowed to dry in the sun.)
- Building with Adobe
- Superadobe design and construction (A technique that was
started in California, it uses polypropylene sacks filled with
dirt as the wall structure.)
- Cob design and construction (Cob is a mixture of clay soil,
straw and water and is worked with the feet until it achieves
a consistency similar to molding clay. This substance is then
formed into the walls of the structure.)
- Straw bale design and construction (Straw bale construction,
designed in the United States, is a rapid construction based
on “sewing” straw bales together.)
- Taipa leve design e construction (This German originated
technique crams a straw mixture into wood structures that are
removed once the straw wall is dry and in place.)
- Making Earth Bricks (This techniques uses a mixture of dirt
and cement along with a large amount of pressure to make resistant,
less harmful bricks.)
- Bamboo construction
- Wood working
- Water tanks out of ferrocement (Combining iron and cement,
this technique is used to make structures that are able to support
up to 500,000 liters of water.)
- Art from wood
- Construction with Adobe in-situ
- Construction with tijolo armado (earth bricks)
- Ferrocement
- Pre-fabricated sawdust, clay, and cement structures
- Experimental Taipas (Using wood or metal clamps, a variety
of materials will be crammed into place and thus become wall
like structures.)
- Construction with rocks native to Pirenópolis
- Manufacturing solar heaters
- Mosaics
BioConstruindo is the first course of its kind
in Brazil and the largest in Latin America. Experts and participants
come from throughout Brazil and all over the world to showcase
their unique skills and learn about others green building experiences.
BioConstruindo is the first course of its kind in Brazil and the
largest in Latin America. It is open to people from all over Brazil
and other countries as well. The cost for this non-Living Routes program
is approximately $650, and includes reference materials and room
and board for the 8 day program. |
