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  • 25 Jun 2022 2:36 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    More information and online registration: Workparty: Intro to Light Straw Clay 

  • 30 Apr 2022 9:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Skilled plasterers needed this Saturday April 30th 9am-4pm (will probably finish earlier!)  

    633 Hegenberger Road, Oakland CA

    Come help Bob Theis apply an acoustic plaster mix (perlite, vermiculite and clay) that will get a surface texturing to the small interior ceiling (less than 200 sq feet of surface) of the feral straw bale art gallery in the Youth Spirit Artwork's Tiny House Empowerment Village. Lunch is provided! Plenty of parking! No registration required. Contact Bob Theis for more info. +1 (510) 235-0616  bob@bobtheis.net Or Allison Arnold 301-357-0582 allisonannearnold@gmail.com


  • 16 Jan 2022 9:44 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Weather-Resistant Exterior Plasters with Clay and Lime workshop in Phoenix, AZ

    This 3-day course replaces a previously arranged straw bale building workshop scheduled for this same time that has been moved to a future date in November. 

    Taught by Athena and Bill Steen, this workshop will focus on stabilizing clay plasters for use as an exterior finish. We will explore a variety of ingredients that can be added or applied to help clay resist water. Lime plaster will also be covered to a lesser extent. The course will cover theory and mixes with plenty of hands-on opportunities for all participants. 

    Existing exterior strawbale walls plastered with a clay base-coat will be finish plastered during the course. Different methods and techniques will be used on various walls around the two existing buildings.

    This workshop will be held Friday March 4- Sunday, March 6, 2022. The cost for the plaster workshop is $375 which includes meals, materials, and instruction by the amazing Steens.

    To register, contact Susan Ontiveros at 602 561-9621 or email her: susanontiveros424@gmail.com

  • 04 Jan 2022 10:34 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    CASBA's West Coast Natural Building Conference returns to Westerbeke Ranch in Sonoma, April 22-24, 2022. Please mark your calendars and make plans to join us. We have high hopes that it will be safe to gather in person next Spring! 

  • 02 Jun 2020 3:42 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    CASBA is happy to announce that we've arranged another round of free downloads of Appendix S - Strawbale Construction AND we've added Appendix R - Light Straw-Clay Construction!  Visit the download page

    These free downloads are made possible by arrangement with the International Code Council (ICC) and payment of a licensing fee. Please take only what you need, and if you like what we're doing, feel free to support this effort with a donation!



  • 17 May 2020 5:33 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

      "Straw Bale Construction Manual" from Germany was just published in Europe and will be available in the US in 4-5 weeks. (in English)


    30 exemplary international projects illustrate the wide spectrum of design possibilities with straw. (some CASBA members contributed)

    • Documents the many and various uses of straw as a building material
    • Practical, step by step presentation with structural details

    Here's a sneak peek!

  • 14 Mar 2020 1:05 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

     We are regretfully postponing our conference due to the Covid-19 virus. We are in the process of rescheduling, so check our website for an update soon! In the meantime, registration is temporarily disabled. However, you can join the wait list to let us know that you'd like to register when it re-opens!



  • 03 Mar 2020 6:14 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Join CASBA members from all over on April 17th -19th in Nevada City for the West Coast Natural Building Conference!  Our theme this year is "Launching a Decade of Resilience", and we are featuring an organic vegetarian menu. Read more

  • 24 Feb 2020 9:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    You are invited to help plaster the Chapel at Seeds of Life:

    Location: Seeds of Life Spirituality Center, Tracy
    Date: March 7-8, 2020, 8:30am Breakfast, 9am Plastering
    Contact: Seeds of Life: (209) 637-3404
    Email: sanfrancisco@verbumdeiusa.org
    CASBA workshop coordinator, Allison, (301) 357-0582

    Here we are just after Lunar New Year and we are still welcoming what is new in 2020. The strawbale round sacred space at Seeds of Life, Tracy California that we have been building under the leadership of Skillfull Means, with much of all of your help has survived the storms and rains of December and January after we all learned how to apply the scratch and structurally necessary coats on the outside. Now we need to repeat the same process on the inside, including the beautiful coves for the windows and the various niches. So lots of opportunity to be artistic or to be simply helpful - or both. We feel that this year really is the final stretch in a long process. So if you can afford the time we would be enormously grateful if you could come to our free WORK PARTY on MARCH 7 and 8, 2020. And it is exactly what the word means, lots of very interesting work and surprises of good companionship and great food.

    The property is very conveniently located in the triangle between the Interstate 5 and freeway 580 on Highway 33 - at a flashing stop sign. Seeds of Life Spirituality Center, 33148 Highway 33, Tracy, CA 94103. We have place for camping and also a few rooms single or double occupancy for $30.

    The team and religious sisters on the property are great fun to work with, we offer wonderful breakfast, lunch and dinner with home cooked meals. If you have dietary restrictions, please let us know in advance. We will also provide snacks. Please bring a refillable water bottle. 

    Bring work clothes, any protective gear like gloves and masks and hawks and trowels if you have them. 

    Hope to see you there!! Ready to begin the finishing stretch of 2020.

    Seeds of Life

CASBA is fiscally sponsored by the Tides Center, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization.

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