Take part in the hempcrete wall construction of a uniquely envisioned building in Ashland, Oregon – the first of its kind permitted in Jackson County. This workshop will provide a comprehensive understanding of hempcrete, covering the theory and design considerations of the material, as well as practical experience in the framing, preparation, formwork, mixing, and installation of exterior hempcrete walls. The project we will be working on is a 3800 sq ft timberframed structure designed as a combined residence, office, and community gathering space. The structure features a central nonagon with a double reciprocal roof, forming a nine-pointed star terminating in a 30’ high cupola. The entire exterior wall will be 12” thick formed-in-place hempcrete walls. Beyond being an example of sustainable building techniques, the project is an expression of the joy and passion of its creators, and an attempt to inspire the design and integration of more healthy, sacred, and sustainable spaces into our built environment.
About the Workshop
The workshop will be a physically demanding intensive as we have 2000+ cubic feet of hempcrete wall volume to fill. Practical work on the site will be broken up by lectures, on-site breakfasts & lunches, and lessons/demonstrations.
To instruct the workshop, Sergiy Kovalenkov, founder of Hempire, will be joining us from Ukraine. Sergiy is a pioneer and internationally recognized authority on hempcrete building technology. He has been involved in over 80 hempcrete projects and has offered his coursework worldwide. The workshop will be co-instructed by the design-build team for the project, and also joining us for guest lectures will be Paula & Robert Laporte, co-founders of Econest.
The cost for the 7 day workshop will be $900.
Our 7 day workshop will run from Monday to Sunday – workshop days will start at 7:30/8 AM running to 5 PM or later. Every day will start with breakfast and a specific practical lesson on the process of hempcrete building, followed by a period of hands on work on the building. We will also provide lunches on site, and have a topical lecture or talk during or after the lunch break every day. The afternoon hours will be focused on the hempcrete installation. Days will be active and physically demanding, involving setup and breakdown of hempcrete formwork, mixing of the binder and hemp materials, and transporting and filling wall cavities. We will likely work in teams of 4-6 with each team running a separate operation of mixing and filling walls.