Natural Building Colloquium 2015

Marking the 20th anniversary of the first (1995) natural building colloquium at the Black Range Lodge in Kingston, New Mexico, Builders without Boarders and the Black Range Lodge, in cooperation with Cob Cottage Company, hosted the 2015 Natural Building Colloquium. The following photos paint a broad picture of the venue and workshops that took place. A special thanks to Ya-Yin LIN for all of her help in reaching the event and for some of the photos.

Haja Center Earth Building and Natural Plastering Workshop

September 14-17 helped teach an earth building and natural plastering workshop at the Haja Center in Seoul, South Korea. The workshop was led by Mr. Seongwon Kim, leader of South Korea's renaissance of hand crafts and appropriate technology. Mr. Minsu Kang of TerraKorea lead the construction of an earthen wall using paper egg crates based on ancient Korea's practice of building cob walls incorporating discarded roofing tiles.

Earth Play Room at the Haja Center, Seoul, South Korea

The Haja Center in Seoul, South Korea hosts an earth play room dedicated to connecting urban children to earth.

More information regarding a recent trip to the Haja Center can seen at the following link:
http://holzhueter.blogspot.jp/2015/09/creativity-summit-at-haja-center-seoul.html
http://holzhueter.blogspot.jp/2015/09/urban-farming-and-seed-saving-at-haja.html

Urban Farming and Seed Saving at the Haja Center, Seoul, South Korea

The Haja Center in Seoul, South Korea provides education in urban farming and seed saving to middle school, high school and post high school students.

 Sweet potatoes, taro potatoes and water catchment system outside the Haja Center

 Roof top garden

 Rice cultivation

 Organic cotton

 Rain water catchment and wash basin for washing vegetables and tools

 Cafeteria vermicompost

 organizing seeds

Seed saving activities

More information regarding a recent trip to the Haja Center can seen at the following link:
http://holzhueter.blogspot.jp/2015/09/creativity-summit-at-haja-center-seoul.html

Creativity Summit at the Haja Center, Seoul, South Korea

The Haja Center is an alternative school in Seoul, South Korea providing education in urban farming, appropriate technology, alternative energy and natural building, as well as courses in graphic design, digital media, film, cooking and restaurant management, etc. The Haja Center hosts a middle school, high school, two-year post high school program, young chef program, entrepreneur incubation center, recording studio, carpentry workshop, bicycle repair center, cafes and countless other programs and workshops.

It is truly an inspiration and heart warming to see young students engaged in learning, passionate about life, and actively creating the society and world in which they want to live.

In November 2012 I attended a wood burning stove course at the Haja Center.
http://holzhueter.blogspot.jp/2012/11/pyro-workshop-at-haja-center-seoul.html

I was recently invited to the annual Creativity Summit hosted by the Haja Center, which included three days of friendship, laughter, good food, inspiration and creativity!

Soren from the People's College of Denmark performing John Lennon's Imagine

Cafeネンリン Strawbale ストローベイルベンチ

Cafe Nenrin is located in Konan City, Shiga Prefecture, near lake Biwa. The area around lake Biwa was historically a marsh habitat featuring reeds, which were traditionally used as thatch for roofs and a lattice for earthen walls.

Cafe Nenrin features an innovative reed thatch exterior finish and an earthen plaster interior finish. 

 

Along the exterior wall is a straw bale bench reinforced with earth plaster and finished with Kiwado's Nagomi plaster.

The following photos describe the construction of the straw bale bench:

 Deconstruction of the original bench　現在のベンチの解体

Earthen plaster completely recyclable　藁スサを調整して、練り直す

 Re-plaster straw bales　下塗

 Earthen Plaster Brown Coat with Bamboo Baseboard　中塗と竹巾木

 親子で漆喰を塗り付け・押さえ　Application and compression of Kiwado's NAGOMI plaster

  Kiwado's NAGOMI plaster finish with bamboo baseboard

調理用ロケットストーブワークショップ Rocket Cook Stoves

On August 2 taught a short workshop on making a simple rocket cook stove. Currently working on a home renovation where the second floor is finished with mainly wood, so we're producing lots of cutoffs. In order to turn our waste into resource, the home owner suggested we build and use a rocket cook stove, and went to work organizing a workshop. The workshop was well attended and we were successful in making a fuel efficient rocket stove from two 20 liter oil cans, three pieces of chimney pipe and 36 liters of Perlite.

8月2日調理用ロケットストーブ・ワークショップを行いました。今の現場の2階に板張りが多くて、廃材がかなり出ているので、困っています。施主さんが調理用ロケットストーブを提案してくださって、 ワークショップを主催しました。ワークショップ参加者のおかげで、燃焼効率の良い調理用ロケットストーブができました。

ロケットストーブの歴史
ロケットストーブはアメリカ・オレゴン州にあるNPO法人のアプロベチョのラッリー・ウィニアースキ博士によって、1982年に開発されました。燃料不足のアフリカ避難キャンプの人々のために開発しましたが、世界各地に広がっています。

ロケットストーブ理論
調理用ロケットストーブは原則が三つあると言えます。
1. 酸素が燃料に通す。焚火と違って、空気は意図的に燃料に通します。これによって、燃焼効率を高まります。また、燃料の表面面積を増やせば、増やすほど、酸素と燃料が振り合いって、燃焼効率が上がります。
2.燃焼室とヒートライザーを断熱すること。表面温度計でストーブを見ると、温度が最も高いのは調理するところはずです。燃焼室から熱が逃げると熱利用率が下がります。また、ヒートライザーによって、ドラフト効果が得られて、空気を吸ってくれるので、燃焼効率が上がります。
3.ポット・スカートの利用すること。熱利用率を高まるため、調理するところから熱が逃げないようにポット・スカートを利用します。

なべの周りから熱が逃げないようにポット・スカートを利用します。

 調理用ロケットストーブの作り方

 グラインダーと板金はさみで入り口煙突パイプの穴を空けます。

 グラインダーと板金はさみで出口煙突パイプの穴を空けます。

 ポット・スカートを作るように2個目のドラム缶の底を切り取ります。

ドラム缶を針金で繋ぐため、穴を空けます。

針金で繋ぎます。

L字型のように煙突を組んで、補強します。

煙突の周りにパーライトで充填します。

 

ふたを設置します。なるべくなべが奥に入るように工夫します。 これより、さらに奥になべを設置すれば、熱利用率が上がります。

初火です。

これで、約板一枚で数分以内にお湯を沸かしました。

楽しかった。

琵琶湖のロケット日焼け