What is Natural Building

Click to visit a gallery of some previous Natural Building projects supported by City Repair.

• What is Cob / Strawbale / Light Straw Clay?

Natural Building is less about the materials we use, and more about the way we build. Builders in this realm will often employ local and non-toxic resources, community-driven labor, a deeper connection to the Land and site within its context of seasons, weather, community, and capacity. Some common natural building choices that incorporate the above attributes are cob, adobe, strawbale, light straw clay, and reclaimed wood structures:

• Cob and Adobe are very similar, in that they are load-bearing, earth-based (clay, sand, and straw) structures. There is no need for a timber frame (although code often requires one), and do not utilize insulation. They are incredibly durable and long-lasting with the proper maintenance, and are based around principles of Thermal Mass to keep warm / cool. 

• Strawbale can be load bearing or alongside a timber frame, and use bales of straw to provide heavy insulation and a core of the walls for earthen plasters / paints. They can often look a lot like cob or adobe buildings aesthetically, although are built much more like a conventional stick-framed structure. 

• Light Straw Clay (LSC) is built exactly like a conventional building until the stick-framing has been completed, then, instead of a standard truss system and fiberglass insulation, they host a wider truss to thicken the walls, which are stuffed with a non-load bearing mixture of clay and straw. These can be conventionally drywalled, or more often, earthen plastered / painted for a more earthen feel. 

• Reclaimed Materials can be anything and everything around us that has already had a life within a different structure. Most commonly we are referring to reclaimed milled woods, however any object could fit the description. These kinds of buildings, as well as mixing reclaiming principles with Light Straw Clay, are well suited for low-footprint, high-accessibility urban Natural Building.

Why Build Naturally?

There are many benefits to building with a focus on locally available materials; community accessibility, a relationship with the Land, and skill sets that are as old as humans. From sustainability to ancestral knowledge, community relationships to health benefits, these kinds of structures can be designed to fit an array of needs. Oftentimes the materials and creativity inherent to natural building allows for solutions outside of a narrow and standardized model of what built-space is and can be.   all the way to their cores, instead of the diversity of needs people all around the world have, needing to fit into a narrow, standardized model of what made-space is and can be. 

• How Does Climate Factor In?

Different climates call for different ways of thinking and relating, just as they call for different materials that are durable and accessible in locally applicable ways. Adobe and Cob, for example, are materially nearly identical, as they are both comprised of Clay, Sand, and Straw, but they are each utilized in vastly different environments. Adobe is a mixture sun-dried into blocks and stacked in deserts around the world. Cob is built wet, and dried as a cohesive unit or monolithic mass, traditionally the technique comes from Wales, but has found a place in many wetter, and more earthquake-prone climates around the world. There is also the urban factor, and sometimes the ideal material for the climate can be overridden by what is accessible and often necessary for comforts to be met in certain fundamental harshness - density, bureaucracy, pollution, etc - of the city. One of the benefits of Natural Building is that out of necessity, it invites us into a more direct relationship and observation of the land and climate around us.  

What Natural Building Services Does City Repair Offer?

• Village Building Convergence

During the ten-day Village Building Convergence (VBC) “Placemakers” or project site coordinators have the option of becoming a Natural Building site if they are interested in utilizing any of the natural building methods mentioned above.  in an array of building techniques. These Placemakers apply by early January and - if approved - pay a placemaking fee, then follow a 4-month weekly workshop series providing organizational expertise, and - to a degree - technical expertise, free & discounted materials & delivery, and extensive networking between volunteers and established natural builders so that their lead builders and coordinators can hold a smooth and successful project before, during, and after the VBC. 

• Custom Services

Aside from the “Design and Project Management Consulting Fee” as part of the Village Building Convergence, The Natural Building Team at City Repair is expanding our capacity to provide similar design and consulting services, including project management, materials and outreach, to community projects. In addressing accessibility for marginalized communities and other underprivileged folks, scholarships will always be a core aspect of our work at City Repair, and we are happy to answer all inquiries. We are also forming an experimental maintenance team that will take on paid work to provide annual / timely routine maintenance to various natural structures around the City, particularly those with public or community interface.

• Why Have City Repair fees changed from days past?

The Village Building Convergence began in the year 2000 actually under the calling of the Natural Building Convergence. An attempt began, by the community members at that time, to use Natural Building as a series of building techniques and community exercises perfectly situated to help them address multiple goals for their community at the time. We are continuing that journey today, feeling like we can still utilize ecological building practices and provide worthy and physical projects for our neighbors to gather around. In order for this young seed of Natural Building to take root in the fabric of our city, it has taken a tremendous amount of our love and dedication and we are honored to continue to steward it’s growth.

We are now at a point in our growth in which we are reconsidering the system of  financial reciprocity inorder to better reflect the time and energy it takes to sustain this good work. 

Thank you for supporting us in our initiative to grow and  thrive and are prepared to answer specific questions you might have. 

A major component to this is moving away from the traditional City Repair model, in which more capacity than individuals have to offer is tapped, leading to high rates of turn over (and thus a lack of cohesive vision and follow-through), social and emotional exhaustion of the Natural Building Team members, and a lack of buy-in for folks who are unable to have the privilege of dedicating so much time an energy without enough in return. Raising our costs is an initiative to continue to grow and thrive, supporting the community and the future of City Repair, as well as the next generations of team members, and for ourselves.

What are the Costs?

• General Considerations

Natural building projects are not always able to use big box stores that sell standardized natural building goods, nor do natural building techniques share the longstanding history of general contractors that have developed pricing structures and standardized systems that are easily repeatable. That said, the costs can vary widely, but generally materials and tools are often a lower cost than a conventional projects of the same caliber, and labor costs - including sourcing less-conventional materials, are at least the same, or often higher. Coordination efforts can be more costly too as the time for these builds is generally longer than their conventional counterparts if there is a lack of a highly skilled and experienced team working together. Maintenance costs often follow the same pattern. Lower materials costs, higher labor than in being compared with conventional builds.

• Materials & Tools?

As stated previously, costs for materials and tools in most natural builds varies based on location, availability, and accessibility. That said, materials and tools costs for natural builds of many types are still often significantly cheaper than conventional builds, even in urban spaces where there is much less accessibility and costs are higher due to urban inflation and delivery. Odds and ends still can be purchased at big box stores or your local hardware store, however the bulk of material - i.e. clay, sand, straw - is free or very cheap. The one major general exception here is when finding high-quality woods, prices can soar above basic dimensional lumber costs.

• Labor

Labor can be another story. Without thousands of contractors or builders sharing extensive historical experience in this region or most places in North America outside of indigenous communities and some subcultures, natural building styles are not able to follow the same basic repeatable contracting processes as conventional building is able to. Each building is very different without uniform code or cultural building norms, and requires often an immense amount of labor to design, orchestrate, and construct. Many people rely on volunteer-oriented work parties and workshops in order to finish their build, and at City Repair, those accessible, community-building operations are our focus. Design phases need not take an enormous amount of time, particularly if your structure does not need to meet any code requirements, however the project management and building labor can take a toll on those who do not understand the scale of these projects beforehand.

• Coordination & Design

Project management or coordination, as well as design, can also be major hurdles to costs involved with natural building. Coordinating a Natural build site often calls for creative thinking in regards to community and/or volunteer involvement, flexibility in project timelines, openness to last-minute alterations or additions in design, and feeling comfortable orchestrating a lot of moving pieces. Understanding and budgeting for these responsibilities to be fulfilled before diving into any project can open the door to a more financially viable project. Community involvement can occur either through work-parties with friends or workshops that people pay or trade to partake in. Being realistic about a project potentially taking twice as long as originally thought at double the cost of labor and materials is a safe perspective to hold. Learning to let the building process unfold as it will and coordinating based on a healthy set of pre-established boundaries and limits rather than control of each and every movement can also help. These are just a few examples of creative process. 

• Maintenance

Equally important to the build is the maintenance of your building in the years and generations to come. Maintenance needs to be on the forefront of project planning and not an afterthought both from a costs and longevity perspective. While we still don’t have access to any standard of maintenance or an array of contractors to call up and fix something for us on a natural building, the maintenance costs are generally equal to or lower than a conventional build, particularly with a good understanding and regular upkeep, as well as planning ahead for a DIY approach to smaller projects. We do have access to some contractors in many regions now, particularly in Portland, Oregon (traditionally Chinook lands) where City Repair is located, that are able to perform maintenance on various kinds of natural buildings. It’s just a matter of connecting to the right people while the Natural Building community continues to grow across the country. Please feel free to contact us if you are having a challenging time finding someone to perform maintenance on your structure

What’s The Process?

• How do I get started or involved in…

Building a Structure?

One way to look at beginning a natural building project for yourself or your community is to break the project up into smaller pieces that best suit the energy, finances and support available. Consider your project from many angles such as: overall vision, fundraising, schedule management. Determine which pieces you and your community would like to hold and which pieces could be outsourced to a Lead Builder or the City Repair team. Please bring your dreams, budget, interest and an openness to the ever-shifting nature of Natural Building to the table first!

consider some key process areas of the project and determine the level of involvement in all or any of these you or your community wants to have. Visioning, Production, Management, and Marketing generally encompass most aspects of a project from conception to completion and future maintenance. Whatever you are not able or would not like to participate in needs to be outsourced to a contractor or, for everything aside from Production, to City Repair in order to be accomplished. Bring your dreams, budget, interests, and an openness to the ever-shifting nature of Natural building to the table first.

Volunteering at Natural Building Sites?

To volunteer locally in Portland, it’s best to check in with the Natural Building Team at City Repair to see what kinds of projects are happening and how to get involved. City Repair may also have leads for people to talk to about what is happening in other parts of the continent. 

Learning More about Natural Building?

Check out our “Future Resources” section, or if you have a specific question you cannot find the answer for, contact the Natural Building Team at City Repair.

• What do I need along the way?

Bringing the most accurate representation of your dreams, what you can or can’t realistically do, and a budget for the entire project will set your build up for success, although some more things are needed along the way. For one, contracts in regards to design, coordination, and building, as well as maintenance, will need to be signed by all parties involved. This is for the protection and clarity of everyone involved, as well as a requirement of working with the Natural Building Team at City Repair. We also require that projects we help to sponsor or otherwise support are host to at least a moderate (and preferably heavy) degree of accessible community participation, for example free education and experience for volunteers.

• What kind of maintenance is required?

What maintenance will be needed on your specific structure is very important to understand, budget, and plan for before you even begin your build. All buildings require maintenance, and natural buildings often require routines differing from conventional counterparts. On one hand, if your building is earthen, clay paint and plaster repair will be necessary at certain intervals, foundations on any building may need repair over time, gutters and roofs of any style are often in need of cleaning or maintenance, and leaks on any building most often must be addressed immediately. On the other hand, natural structures often do not require the intensive repair techniques needed for drywall and concrete, and small repairs can often be done easily without a skilled contractor. 

Design Considerations?

• Is natural building appropriate for me and my site and resources? 

In short, the answer is yes. But, the follow up question might be: What does natural building look like for me and my site?

Natural building isn’t defined by materials so much as it’s an expression of what’s naturally occuring, available, and responsibly obtainable from within your community. Be open minded and be ready to change your perception of what a natural building and could be. To unpack this question, first compile a list of your local resources:

Skills : Yours and those of neighbors and other community members. Not just building skills : also consider organizational & management skills, resource gathering, networking, marketing, leadership, etc. All of these are instrumental skills in successful projects. How can you allow those skills to flow into the expression of the talents of your team. 

Time : How much time do you and your team have to devote to the project? And, when would you like the project finished? Once it’s finished, who will maintain the structure? Many natural building processes are time consuming and can be seasonally restrictive. Consider the goals of your project and weigh those with your time and expectations of completion.

Money : Money allows us to make up for what we lack in skills and time. If money is available, consider how that’ll work in conjunction with the other resources. 

Materials : Start with noting what’s immediately around you. Trees, sand, clay-based soil & local straw are what we immediately think of when we consider natural building, but consider more broadly that a natural building is really just an expression of what is naturally occurring in your place. In a city, there a tremendous amounts of good building materials sitting around in our garages or are flowing through the waste stream. Using those materials is perhaps more appropriate than trucking clay or straw hundreds of miles.

Observe your site. Your site offers clues as to what will be a comfortable and long lasting building.  

What Are Some Special Considerations?

As Natural Building is a departure from how building has become standardized in modern culture there are a plethora of special considerations to think about in the design and construction phases. Some examples are as follows:

• Natural Buildings often utilize a breathable system. A building is like a living organism. Just as we don't wrap ourselves with plastic, aim to eliminate plastic products in your building systems because they block the natural flow of moisture. If moisture is trapped, mold will develop. This includes plastic house wraps, & latex paint.  

• Natural Buildings are also often designed to be “Passive Solar” when the site calls for it. Consider designing with the sun in mind, how will it move across your building and what will impede it. How will you also provide enough shade in the summer as not to overheat your building? 

• Water, like the sun, is also a tremendous natural resource. It can be used to store and transfer heat or help keep a space cool. Design with considerations for how water moves on your site. From capturing the rain above to releasing greywater from the building instead of flushing it down a sewer. How does your building process it’s water?

General Information

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_building (hehe!)

• https://www.chrismagwood.ca/

• https://www.firespeaking.com/

• https://www.mudgirls.ca/

• http://www.cobcottage.com/