Permaculture in New Zealand

Cordwood masonry author and teacher Rob Roy, will conduct a three-day workshop, followed on March 1 by a one-day workshop on earth-sheltered housing and living roofs. The workshops explore the methods of building Roy’s environmentally sustainable cordwood masonry constructions, which are becoming increasingly popular as homeowners take to more innovative ways of building greener more efficient homes. The building project will be a 10 square metre sleepout/office/store room with instruction on method and theory followed by hands on practice.

Cordwood masonry is an ancient building technique by which walls are constructed of short logs – called “log ends” – laid up widthwise in the wall, like a rank of firewood. The walls are simple and economic to build, are energy-efficient because of the special insulated mortar matrix surrounding each log end, and the walls have a unique and attractive appearance, combining the warmth of wood with the pleasing texture of stone masonry.

The wood we will use is pinus radiata. It is highly breathable, has an insulation value for a 200mm block of about R8. Because only end-grain is exposed it is not subject to insect attack and because of its breathability characteristics it is not subject to fungal attack. Under these conditions it should be a durable building material.

Rob and Jaki Roy are the founders of Earthwood Building School in West Chazy, NY, USA and have been teaching the cordwood masonry technique for 28 years. The workshop at Turangi is the first cordwood workshop in New Zealand since the Roys’ last visit in 2001. The workshop begins at 8:30 am each day, with on-site work in the afternoons and a full day of site work on the 28th ending at 5pm. On March 1st, Rob and Jaki will stay to conduct Earthwood Techniques, a one-day workshop on earth-sheltering and living roofs. , visit www.ecoshow.co.nz