Introduction | Materials | Curriculum | Classes | Instructors | Register |

Curriculum

Design: Getting Started | Cob Building | Food Production | Intro Workshops | Course List


The Innate Natural Building curriculum is designed to enhance your existing construction skills. You will:

      • Learn techniques
      • Work with your peers
      • Develop leadership skills
      • Broaden your market
      • Raise your employability
      • Network with like-minded people

If you already have conventional construction skills: great!  You will be able to include your existing skills in your work with competence.

If you’re a new builder that’s great, too: You will be able to decide where to deepen your learning following this course, as you develop your continuing learning path. 

Do you want to participate actively in building your own home? The skills practiced here are useful tools for decision making and being an owner builder. All participants will make meaningful network connections as we work with experienced people.

The following are course topics that the Innate Natural Building School will offer in the near future:


Design: Getting Started

In this course, you will learn about:

• Materials from Nature
• Steps to building a natural house
• Design tips to create your own design

DESIGN: The first step to making the dream of a natural house your reality is creating a design. From choosing a good site, basics of passive solar design, space saving strategies… to choosing the appropriate materials for your project- we will present ideas, exercises, and information, share experiences and support your personal process.

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Cob Building


Indulge your inner artist: Get into the mud for a weekend of cob building where you learn how to build strong, beautiful walls with arches, niches and sculpted features. And there’s nothing that transforms space quite like the final plaster coat mixed from natural clays and pigment, with fiber and other ingredients.

Learn how to conserve energy and avoid costly heating and cooling costs by factoring in solar passive materials and allow nature to compliment your surroundings.

Cob building makes for a high energy workshop offering skills toward building your own cob building.

In this course we will learn about:

  • Evaluation of materials
  • Basics of designing for cob
  • Mixing techniques
  • Wall building
  • Arches
  • Sculpting
  • Fastening of doors, windows and roofs
  • Discuss related issues
  • Design and related issue
  • Project management
  • Building codes

    Working with cob is an action of building community: You meet likeminded people, support one another, and explore your creativity in a fun and safe environment.

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Food Production


In this course, we explore a variety of practices and techniques of growing and work with others in a cooperative and outcome focused team.

It is Innate Natural Building School's hope that we can help create a further pool of inspired, committed, and skilled food producers for local food security. We are connecting with our local farming community and co-ops as teachers through hands-on learning modules on their farm. Together we can create a new slow-food movement in the city, and provide a forum for secure/sustainable food production education.

Food security is a realism that most avoid. It requires drawing from ancient farming techniques and calendar customs. Producing food is wonderful way to “shake hands with the earth” and put into practice principles that are time honored and bountiful.

Innate Natural Building School partners with local CSA community supported agriculture, by providing solutions to soil erosion, creating terraced landscapes, walled gardens, rainwater harvesting roofs, root cellars, spaces to study the seasonal polyphenism of the gardens natural pollinators.

In this course, you will learn about:

  • Vegetarian food preparation
  • Wild crafting
  • Herb teas
  • Yoga
  • Holistic healing

    • Working with the earth in a sustainable way restores balance increases confidence and has a feel good factor that is well worth the effort.

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    Reserve your place in one of our selected workshops or talks by following the registration link.

  • Meals are included in the price of all activities unless otherwise stated.
  • Your personal information is private.
  • All participants and visitors must sign a waiver agreement to attend classes and workshops with Innate Natural Building School.
  • To book a speaker at your event please phone us at: (313) 366-2247 for details.
  • Group tours are welcome by appointment and a $10 donation is the norm.

    • Course List (pdf download)

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