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We look forward to open a new world of experience, skill, and growth as you bond with your new COB family!
Join our exciting Cob Cottage Workshop!
Minimus stay 1 week
Jascha Roosen
The Project
We will construct a 20m² round Cob house for the community Project "Almendras Blancas," designed to host people and classes. This intense 4-week program offers hands-on training and theoretical knowledge of basic cob building. Our focus is on creating a welcoming environment for everyone. We love bonding as a group, encouraging each other, and learning together in a supportive, creative way.
We will guide you through every step of the process, equipping you with the skills needed to create your own cob home.
Our goal is to build a Cob house and teach you to build your own. Even if you don't have this plan (yet), it's an awesome, playful, and creative way to build a variety of different structures and get a feeling for nature and how she provides us with natural materials. We'll guide you to an understanding of nature and alternative thinking for building solutions. Even if you're not a hands-on person and prefer to learn by observing, that's perfectly fine, and we're confident you'll learn a lot!
We believe it's important to teach alternatives to the common ways of building in Europe. We try to reduce chemical and industrial materials to a minimum and just use what mother earth provides us on the land.
We've already found lots of big stones to build a dry stone foundation. The land has beautiful red soil, full of clay and sand. Combined with straw, which is easily available from our friendly neighbors, we have everything needed to build the walls of the Cob house. There are plenty of eucalyptus trees in the area to create the beautiful construction of the reciprocal roof. We'll cover it with boards, a waterproof layer, grass, and plants to insulate and cool it down during summer. Our vision is to combine traditional natural building techniques with modern engineering to build a sustainable home from natural materials that will last for generations.
Hands-On learning
Get ready to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty – in the most fun way possible!
The workshop is mostly learning by doing. You'll get the basic knowledge of each task, and we'll show you different ways to achieve a goal. You're always welcome to try, experience, and find your own way. We celebrate "mistakes" as wonderful opportunities to learn and grow together.
To mix the cob, we'll get our hands and feet dirty. Even with the help of tools and machines, we'll work hard together. We need good health conditions to carry and lift material. If you have any physical issues or illnesses, you're absolutely welcome just as you are – please let us know so we can find the perfect role for you. Working with cob is beautifully intuitive and creative. Many of us find a meditative state while feeling the materials of clay and cob. You're welcome to switch off your mind and let the flow of your hands guide you. We offer the chance to experience nature with all your senses – to taste it, to smell it. We're creating a natural playground where you can explore, be creative, and learn in and from nature. And that's just the beginning of our adventure together!
Community Experience
We will be hosted by the welcoming community of Almendras Blancas, where you can connect with like-minded individuals.
We'll be guests on this beautiful land. The people who live there are delighted to welcome us. They're also very interested and eager to join and help us from time to time. For us as leaders of the workshop, it's very important to foster a closely bonded group of participants and maintain a wonderful camp spirit. Hannah will be our care angel and your go-to person for personal needs, feelings, and facilitations.
We want to create a workshop that feels comfortable for everybody, with a healthy balance of cultures, genders, and all kinds of wonderful people. Our mission is to create access for everyone interested, especially local people, so we can build international cob building families together. We aim to create heartfelt group bonding experiences through our workshops to heal ourselves and the world. So please listen to your soul calling and the excitement in your heart when thinking of joining us. Come and dive into this life-changing adventure in 2025. We're so excited to open a whole new world of experience, skill, growth, and transformation as you bond with your new COB family for life! Be part of creating a better world with us.
Delicious Local Food
Enjoy nourishing meals prepared with love and care.
You'll be lovingly fed by 2 beautiful souls who will prepare 3 delicious vegetarian meals a day. We take special care to source local and/or organic food from the market as fresh as possible. Nourishing food is essential for us to fuel our bodies during this active experience. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we'll gather Monday to Friday. During weekends, you're welcome to use the kitchen, and we may eat together, but we also like to give you space to explore the area or take some time for yourself. Host or other students can carpool into town for weekend food provisions. Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or allergies so we can accommodate your needs.
Camping in Nature
Experience the breathtaking beauty of the valley nestled in the mountains.
We'll build a friendly camp in the valley, so bring your own home. This can be a tent, a hammock, caravan, or whatever makes you feel comfortable and cozy. We'll have compost toilets and refreshing outdoor showers in our camp. There will be a spacious community tent where we can gather and spend warm, cozy evenings together. And of course, we'll enjoy magical evenings around the campfire!
South of Spain is a popular region to spend winter because the weather is still quite pleasant. We'll enjoy the most sunshine hours and highest temperatures in Europe. The mornings and evenings can still be a bit chilly, so it's good to check the weather before coming. Please bring all the equipment you need to take care of yourself, to stay warm and dry. We want you to be comfortable and happy throughout your stay. Also, please bring your favorite snacks and foods, a comfy pillow, and whatever else you need to feel at home. Feel free to also bring playlists, speakers, slides, videos, movies, and books to share, as well as a sample of your soil if you want to test the soil of your land. Please bring a watch or use your phone to be prompt and ready for each part of the course, including our delicious meals together.
If you don't have a tent or prefer to rent a hut or caravan, just let us know – we're here to help make your stay comfortable!
Much more than a Cob Workshop
Beyond the workshop, there'll be many other wonderful activities happening! The community project offers lots of healing and self-development opportunities. You can relax and breathe with yoga classes led by certified instructors. There will be joyful ecstatic dance, heartwarming singing circles, fun jam sessions, meaningful sharing circles, and more. On the land, there will be a cozy sauna where we can relax in the evening. Take time to unwind at the weekend, explore the beautiful beach, or soak in the rejuvenating hot springs for a day trip.
Arriving and Leaving
The workshop begins on Sunday, November 2nd at 4pm with a warm welcome to get to know each other and the project. If you'd like to arrive a few days early, you can arrange this with Lief from Almendras Blancas. Our journey together concludes on Sunday, November 30th after a special closing circle & brunch.
You can arrive on your own at the land or book our convenient pickup service from Malaga airport (AGP) or Órgiva. We'll arrange shuttle services to the workshop site on Saturday and Sunday of arrival dates and back again on Sunday of departure dates. You'll be responsible for your meals until dinner on Sunday. If you want to book transportation or have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out – we're happy to help!
Course Schedule
4 Weeks, Monday-Friday sessions
- 7:30-8:15 am: Breakfast
- 8:30 am-9:00 am: Morning Stretching / Fun Games
- 9:00 am-1 pm: Building / Class
- 1:00-2:30 pm: Lunch & Rest
- 2:30-5:30 pm: Building / Class
- 5:30-7:00 pm: Rest / Yoga
- 7:00-8:00 pm: Dinner
We hope everyone can be on time and participate in all sessions as our building project depends on our collective energy! Of course, we understand life happens, especially when illness or emergencies arise.
Workshop Structure
- Week 1: Dig trench, build stone foundation, pour earthen floor.
- Week 2: Build cob walls, insert door, windows, shelves, and prepare electrical/plumbing, prepare for the reciprocal roof.
- Week 3: Continue cob walls, build reciprocal roof, install green roof.
- Week 4: Apply clay plaster, finalize structure.
You'll learn valuable skills including:
- Foundation and drainage systems
- Soil analysis and cob mixture
- Cob construction techniques
- Installation of windows, doors, shelves, and electrical/plumbing preparations
- Sculpting and plastering techniques
- Reciprocal roof construction
- Green living roof cover
Team Spirit
Our workshops welcome anyone who wants to learn how to build a complete structure from start to finish in a professional way. The days are hands-on and intensive – but don't worry, we make sure to balance work with yoga, stretching, dancing, music, and plenty of relaxation time!
We value everyone being present during building hours. We plan the size of the project and the workshop schedule based on the number of wonderful participants. If someone is missing, it means more work for others. Of course, we completely understand if you can't join due to illness or an emergency.
Our friendly instructors try to match tasks to your interests and learning goals – the more you participate, the more you'll learn! This workshop is a team effort where we support each other physically, mentally, and emotionally.
We're so excited to learn, build, and share this special experience with you!
Why Attend?
Whether you're looking to develop new skills, meet wonderful new friends, or simply have fun, our workshop is the perfect opportunity for you! Led by talented cob instructor, carpenter, and civil engineer Jascha Roosen, this workshop promises delicious food, amazing people, transformative learning, healing, and most importantly, FUN!
Take a new step and follow your heart into an exciting new chapter.
Contact
Register!
Spaces are limited to a maximum of 12 students. Secure your spot and book now – we can't wait to welcome you!