Adobe Mudbrick Beginner's Workshop

ADOBE MUDBRICK BEGINNER’S WORKSHOP

Have you gawked at ancient mudbrick buildings like the Djenné Mosque in Mali or the 7-story-tall highrises of Shibam but not known how mudbrick could fit in Aotearoa’s rainy, earthquakey, building-consented landscape? Well, if you haven’t, go look now ;) . And now that you have, come join us at Ōtākaro Orchard on May 4th and 5th for a weekend of delving into the understated and magical world of the humble mudbrick. 

We’ll be practicing an internal adobe veneer wall on Ōtākaro Orchard’s Community building, you can read more about the building here: https://otakaroorchard.org/building-project/

Ōtākaro Orchard is taking part in Open Christchruch, an annual one-weekend-only festival of exceptional architecture. This weekend, Ōtākaro Orchard will be hosting an architecture tour with Field Studio, a SEE IT, HEAR IT, TASTE IT, TOUCH IT, SMELL IT, MAP IT tour, and now also this Introduction to Adobe Mudbrick Workshop. 

WHAT WE’LL BE LEARNING:

• Theory Meets Practice: This workshop will start with morning discussions and note-taking but is primarily a hands-on experiential learning workshop! So get ready to get muddy!
• We’ll learn to mix the right ratio of natural materials and achieve the right consistency to make durable and beautiful adobe mudbricks

• You’ll learn to form adobe bricks using molds to create their shape
• We’ll show you how to set up your own building set-up, logistics and tools
• We’ll get to lay some glorious internal veneer mud bricks to the building code standards (NZS 4299:2020)

ABOUT THE TEACHER:

My name is Iza Lakapati. 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. This is where I found my love for living in community and living in harmony with nature. Upon returning to Aotearoa, I completed a Bachelor of Architectural Studies at Victoria University of Wellington with electives in Biology Conservation and Design for Sustainability. Since graduating, I have trained under seven different teachers including internationally- acclaimed earth-builders Athena Steen and Verena Maeder. I have contributed to over 10 natural-construction projects ranging from simple clay-painting existing walls to the more recent completion of a co-designed and co-constructed 28m2 strawbale roundhouse. I have co-hosted or facilitated teaching six educational workshops from four days to two-month building immersive workshops.

Beyond the undeniable environmental and health benefits, 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 am now fundraising to study a Master’s of Sustainable Architecture at the Centre of Alternative Technology, a Welsh institute with over 50 years of experience in sustainable practice. I view these studies as a necessary bridge between my current efforts on small-scale projects and my aspirations to contribute to the wider industry by deepening my understanding of global challenges and collaborating with like-minded people. I am hosting these workshops to share this knowledge before I leave Aotearoa for some years, and also to fundraise for the costs of living and studying abroad. Check out my fundraiser here: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-fund-my-sustainable-architecture-masters

You can see more of my work here: https://instagram.com/wanderingearthbuilder

COST:

I will be at Ōtākaro orchard all weekend as part of their OPEN CHCH architecture event. You are welcome to come and go as you please for a koha. I will be available to answer any questions, and guide you through the process. The koha supports me to cover the international fees to study Sustainable Architecture.

BYO food. No refunds.