New Directions at the Natural Building Colloquium
The conference brings professional builders, architects and academicians who share the views of creating housing that is healthy, affordable and environmentally responsible. The movement is leading a growing number of people to take a new look at building techniques long shunned by the modern construction industry. Earth, straw and bamboo, once materials of necessity for indigenous and pioneering peoples the world over, are now being rediscovered as materials of choice by those who are embracing an ethic of natural building.
This year's colloquium was organized by the[Natural Building Network and was hosted by Gunner Orella, who represents the sixth generation of the Orella family living on the ranch since 1866. The Natural Building Network supports ecological regeneration, social justice, the building of community and economic opportunity, and the recognition of indigenous wisdom as essential in creating healthy, beautiful, and spiritually uplifting habitation for everyone.
The colloquium isn't your typical conference held in a stuffy convention hall. Attendees typically spent the mornings devoted to work on a multi-stalled toilet facility that was already framed with wood. Gunner wanted the walls and a surrounding fence to be finished with natural materials, and there were many volunteers who formed teams to accomplish this project.
Business and pleasure
The afternoons were reserved for concurrent presentations or discussions, so there were always hard choices to make about what to attend. During the course of the week, over forty different topics were explored, in a variety of meeting places. These ranged from the use of materials, such as bamboo, cob, adobe and lime, to more theoretical discussions about engineering, thermal properties, efficiency and design.
After dinner — which was always delicious and usually vegetarian — we were treated to a variety of programs or entertainment that emanated from our group. Mostly these were slide or PowerPoint presentations, but one night was devoted to a talent show with plenty of music and some stand-up comedy, which was great fun. I got a chance to show lots of pictures of my visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where I had been invited to discuss sustainable architecture with the faculty and students at the King's University a few years ago.
One morning, about half of us opted to attend a tour of historic adobe buildings in the heart of Santa Barbara. The earliest remnants date to the 1780's when Spain authorized the construction of a presidio and the Santa Barbara Mission. Much of this early adobe construction was toppled during subsequent earthquakes, but recent reconstruction, using stabilized adobes, has returned the area to its original presence.
After spending a week camping out in the spectacular Orella Ranch and connecting with these dedicated and compassionate souls, I felt heartened that we will find ways to overcome the enormous obstacles that lay ahead.
Message from the future
During the closing ceremony, held on a very foggy night before we were to disperse the next morning, we arranged ourselves in two large circles that faced each other. Those of us on the outer circle, who role played people living in some indefinite future, were asked to address our ancestors (people of today) in the inner circle. When I did this I felt strange, as though I was really speaking from some future time. I told the young woman who was sitting across from me that I did not blame her for the difficulties that she and subsequent generations had endured. I said that the pattern was innocently established well before she was born.
Industrialization was fashioned to improve life, not deteriorate it, and the consequences were not foreseen. And then I told her how much I appreciated the hard work she was doing to address and correct the mistakes of our ancestors. I said that because of the actions of her generation, we in the future were enjoying a simple and healthy life based on ecological balance, and that we owe her and many of her generation our gratitude for all that they did to make this possible. We then stood and embraced, the future and the present, for a moment of true compassion.
View more photos from the Natural Building Colloquium.
Kelly Hart is the producer of GreenHomebuilding.com and DreamGreenhomes.com.
Comments
Kelly, I wish I was there. Recently I have been thinking about steps to take to make existing homes more green. Was part of the conference dedicated to discussions on this topic? And if so, could you elaborate?
Frank, various aspects of the discussions we had relate to how to make existing homes greener, but this topic wasn't specifically addressed. I might point you toward some resources that do address this quiestion: http://greenhomebuilding.com/articles http://www.HomeFinder.com/content/Blog:HomeFinder.com_Turning_Greener_with_New_Buying_Guide /avoidinggridlock.htm http://greenhomebuilding.com/QandA/sustainable/measures.htm http://greenhomebuilding.com/QandA/sustainable/retrofitting.htm Plus, there are many books listed at http://greenhomebuilding.com/energyefficient.htm http://greenhomebuilding.com/sustainable_architecture.htm http://greenhomebuilding.com/owner_builder.htm
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