I first experienced the joy of earth-building at 18 while spending six months living in a traditionally crafted mud house in a rural Malawian village. However, it was six years ago that I chose to dedicate myself to the craft. Building with unfired clay has been my primary "work" since. It is my absolute passion, fuelled by a joy in sharing ways of building that empower everyday people with hands-on skills while fostering a deeper connection with our earth.
I have a deep love for the breadth of ways earthen materials can be applied, and so have contributed to over 30 natural-construction projects, ranging from simple decorative bowls, to mud ovens, to 6m tall festival sculptures, to designing and constructing a 28m2 strawbale roundhouse, to artisinal finishes for the RHS flower show, to plastering a 150m2 common house.
Beyond the undeniable environmental and health benefits of natural building, there is also a deeper cultural shift that I believe natural building contributes to. It invites us to engage with deeper understandings of our belonging in the natural world, responsible stewardship of the land, decolonisation of the construction industry, and reconnection to our community.
I studied a Bachelor of Architecture in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Two years ago, I moved to the British Isles to study a Master’s of Sustainable Architecture at the Centre of Alternative Technology. I study part-time while working solely as an earth builder, clay plasterer and workshop facilitator to fund my studies. Now based in Bristol but working across the Isles.