Natural Building Design Seminar and

Cob Construction Workshop

PISA Winter 2014
Cob Cottage Workshop
Sihanoukville, Cambodia
Otres Village
December 15th to the 31st, 2014

PERMAFORMING WORKSHOP
ELEMENT
NATURAL BUILDING DESIGN AND
CONSTRUCTION WORKSHOP
CURRICULUM

Program Overview
Cob Building Structural Design and Construction Workshop is a creative process
utilizing passive structural design to plan for the construction of beautiful, natural,
economical, and efficient cob home from natural materials, and according to the use of
passive systems such as passive solar, and passive ventilation and insulation
incorporation into the structural design of a home. Cob homes are healthy for the
environment, for humanities physical, emotional, and economic wellbeing, and returns
back to the earth without damage when the life cycle has expired.
The Cob Workshop is a 13 day workshop which is a part of the Permaforming program,
and can be taken alone or in connection with other Permaforming programs through
PISA including Sustainable Agriculture (Permaculture Design), Waste Elimination
(Composting and Biogas System Design), Global Citizenship and Human Rights and
Civics, Environmental Economics, Equitable Business Entrepreneurship and Planning,
Community Development, and Disaster Management and Mitigation. Please refer to our
schedule page on our website at www.permaforminstitute.weebly.com for more
information on upcoming workshops.

Permaform Institute for Sustainability Arts

PISA was founded by dreamers in an endeavor to create our goals of defining an
alternative to conventional capitalistic based development models founded on
unsustainable and devastatingly harmful development through educational formats in
natural development sciences and practical skill development.
Cambodia was specifically chosen as our educational venue due to its developmental
relativity to current permaforming impacts. The lack of industrial development is a
benefit when applying alternative development ideologies, concepts, and technologies,
as lacking industrialized developments open the potential for maintaining agriculturally
financial economies as alternatives to industrialization development which is more
conducive to sustainability of non-industrialized regions environment, economic
stability, and social structures.
PISA is committed to social, environmental, and economically equity. One of our
primary goals is to train entry level professionals in the field of Permaforming which
impacts rural communities with increased employment opportunities, decreased
environmental impacts from activities of development, and professional skill
development which can easily be transferred to local communities through workshop
participant initiation.

Cob Building Design Seminar and Cob Construction Workshop

PISA Faculty: Jennifer Shurley (USA)
Semester: Winter 2014
Workshop Description
This is an academically and hands on workshop that provides background theory and
science with skills and techniques for cob building design and construction. The
workshop is taught through both theoretical lessons in the classroom and hands-on
experiences in the basic planning and construction of a small cob home. A variety of
methods and materials are explored including dry stone, cob, wattle and daub, and
recycled materials, but our walls will be created from cob.
We will begin each day with a lecture seminar for about 1-2 hours including design and
discussions, then work on the complete building from foundation to roofing of a small
cob cottage in our afternoon workshop.
The workshop can be taken together as a full program from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Monday through Friday, or individually for the design seminar in the mornings from
10:00am to 12:00 pm Monday through Friday, and the cob building workshop in the
afternoons from 1:00pm to 6:00 pm Monday through Friday.
An emphasis is placed on equity, both in terms of social, environmental, and economic
embodied energy of materials and their capacity for function, impact from planning
through destruction, cost, planning, and operations.

Workshop Objectives

Participants will be able to analyze the specific conditions of a particular natural

building project and plan structures according to concepts of passive efficiency.
Participants will understand concepts of ecological, social, and economic
footprint and embodied energy and be able to apply them to a natural building
process.
Participants will gain practical knowledge and experience in the application of
natural structures as aids to achieving sustainability.
Participants will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to design and
construct cob structures using local, naturally abundant, low-energy and nontoxic materials.
Participants will be personally prepared to begin designing and building their
own basic natural cob structures.

Learning Modalities
The instructor teaching this workshop uses lectures, discussions, and hands on
workshops as key strategies to allow each student to develop mastery of workshop
content, and develop the skills necessary to confidently begin building cob structures in
their own home construction, businesses, or through community developments.

Workshop Outline
The following is the order in which students will develop mastery of workshop content
and cob designing and building principles.

December 15th, 2014 - Day 1:

SeminarArchitecture, Planning and Design,
DiscussionForbidden Archeology
WorkshopLayout of Structure, soil testing
December 16th, 2014 - Day 2:
SeminarPermaforming Structural Design
DiscussionTiny Homes
WorkshopFoundation digging
th
December 17 , 2014 - Day 3:
SeminarPlanning and Design
DiscussionLay Lines and Electromagnetism
WorkshopFoundation drainage
December 18th, 2014 - Day 4:
SeminarCob Building Design
DiscussionAtlantis
WorkshopFoundation stone work
December 19th, 2014 - Day 5:
SeminarPassive Design Elements, Orientation
DiscussionThe Pyramids
WorkshopFoundation stone work, door frames, cob mixing
December 22nd, 2014 - Day 6:
SeminarDrainage and Foundations
DiscussionLocal Monuments
Workshop
cob
December 23rd, 2014 - Day 7:
SeminarFoundations, Door Frames
Discussion-

The Code, and Magic Structures (Cosmic Orientation)

Workshopcob walls, windows and doors
December 24th, 2014 - Day 8:
SeminarWalls, and Basic Cob, Earth-bag, Wattle and Daub, Cordwood, etc.
DiscussionDisasters and Structures
Workshopscob
December 25th, 2014 - Day 9:
SeminarRoofs
DiscussionChristmas Party! (Druid Celebration of TREES!)
WorkshopsRoofing framing
December 26th, 2014 - Day 10:
SeminarInsulation
DiscussionCodes and Legalities
WorkshopsRoofing
December 29th, 2014 - Day 11:
SeminarCeilings
WorkshopPlaster
December 30th, 2014 - Day 12:
SeminarPlaster and Finish
WorkshopPlaster
December 31st, 2014 Day 13:
SeminarFloors
WorkshopFloor
NEW YEARS PARTY, MASKARADE DRUM CIRCLE!
Note: This outline is subject to change both before and during the workshop based on student learning
goals, weather, and other factors.

Workshop Requirements

Workshop participants must have basic English proficiency, and be physically capable
of working outside, in the conditions of the workshop location.

Grading
In this workshop, grades are not applicable, and workshop participants completing the
program receive Certificates of Completion from the instructor for their workshop
activities.

An educational program dedicated to the art and science of Cob Building.

100 Program Hours + Hands-On Projects + Comprehensive Curriculum + Top Notch Instructor. 20
Positions are Available and tend to fill quickly in the high season, so please register as soon as possible!.
Apply Soon.
DATES

December 15th 31st, 2014 Otres Village (Sihanoukville) Cambodia

5 days per week for two and a half weeks: M, T, W, TH, F; 9am 5pm
.
LEARN
Through hands-on activities, workshops, classes and seminars, participants will gain a comprehensive
understanding of how to design and build using locally-sourced clay, sand, straw, bamboo, wood, stone
and other abundant, affordable and salvaged materials.
INSTRUCTOR
Jennifer Shurley is an equity engineer specializing in triple bottom line business, structural, project,
educational programming, community development, and systems development. She has 15 years of
permaforming experience, beginning with the development of her own home in Hawaii based on the
principles of passive design, and has designed and built many alternative structures ranging from
temporary settlements, to intentionally designed cities. Her experience has lead her around the world
working for individuals, businesses, INGOs, and personal projects internationally oriented in Africa,
America, India, Nepal, and Mexico. She is the founder and creator of the Permaforming program, as
well as the primary instructor of workshop activities.

FEE

The total fee of the full program is $175 USD for the full 13 day workshop including both design
elements seminars, and workshops, or $50 USD for the Design Elements Seminars, and $150 USD for the
Cob Workshop. Tuition can be paid in full, or you may choose to partake in the payment plan.
Payment plans require 50% of fees paid at registration, with the remaining balance paid on the first day
of the workshop.

Program Payment Plan

Full Program- $87 USD paid at time of registration, $87 USD paid on the first day of workshops
Design Seminars - $25 USD at time of registration, and $25 USD paid on the first day of the
seminar series
Cob Workshop - $75 USD paid at time of registration, and $75 USD paid on the first day of
workshops

If you would like tips on how to seek sponsorship/financial support, contact us.
Please note: The fee includes 13 days of workshops + all materials and tools. Lodging, food, travel, visa,
and flight arrangements are not included, however lodging assistance and program rates are available
upon request for approximately $20 USD for a camping space-$50-$150 USD for a full amenity guest
room close to the program site. Students will need to supply their own work cloths, gloves, and sturdy
work shoes, and we do get dirty everybody....so get prepared to have a dirty fun time!. We will be taking
an hour lunch break every day, with local food available at our sponsors restaurant, or cooking space is
also possible in the areas of the workshop. The beach is only a short distance away, and we usually get
such a great group of people joining us it is a really fun way to learn something, have dirty fun in the sun,
and make some really great friends. PLEASE BRING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, IPODS, ETC..MUSIC IS
MAJIC!
REGISTRATION
We have 20 available positions. Registration is first come, first served. To register, follow these steps:
1) Copy/paste and either send the program application to alohajeni@gmail.com, or print and
submit it to our instructor Jeni Shurley personally, and she can be located through the contacts
provided.
2) We will get back to you within three days to confirm availability if applying online.
3) Once confirmed, a deposit will reserve your place. You can either send payment in full or, if you
prefer, choose the payment plan option. If you select the payment plan option, please send
either cash, or western union payment for either $85 USD, or $175 USD for full payment (dated
for the first day of the program)
CANCELLATION
All deposits, payments and payment installments are 100% NON-REFUNDABLE. If you are on a payment
plan and do not complete the program, your deposit can be transferred to another program within the
next 12 months but will not be refunded, as materials and tools are purchased with registration deposits

according to participant expectations and we expect this non-refundable policy to be respected and
implemented. If cancellation notification is given prior to 72 hours before the beginning of a scheduled
workshop, your fee (minus a non-transferable/non-refundable $30 USD) will be transferable to another
program within 12 months of notification.