Notes from the Workshop

Ecological Building with Natural Materials

Taught by Gernot Minke, organized by ArTUR Architektúra pre trvalo udržateľný rozvoj
Senec • Slovakia • Summer 2010

Workshop from 6. - 10. October 2010 within Lifelong Learning Programme, Grundtvig.

‘This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be
held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.’

ArTUR • email: info@ozartur.sk • www.ozartur.sk 1

Table of
Contents
Introduction! 5

NGO Artur and straw bale building 5

Impressum! 6

Thank you 6

Supporters 8

Sponsors 9

Description of the workshop! 10

Main activities 10

Theory lessons 10

Practical lessons 10

Accompanying activities 11

Preparation prior to workshop! 12

Preparing place for practical sessions (an experimental building site - case
study) 12

Preparing theorethical sessions 14

Preparing place for dining, meeting and resting 14

Practical arrangements for the workshop 15

Organizing participants’ arrival 16

Organizers’ role 17

Notes from practical session! 18

Working with Straw bales for load bearing structures 18

Measuring and adjusting straw bales 18

Building SB load bearing vault 20

 Building SB load bearing dome 21

Airtightness 22

Regulated ventilation and heating 23

Humidity measurement 24

Windtightness and water resistance 25

Insulation 26

Preparing surface for plastering 28

Preparing earth plaster mixtures 29

Applying base coat plaster 30

Base coat was applied by machine, then smoothed by hand tools, or it was applied
by hands. 30

Earth floor mixture 34

Floor in the small earth brick dome 34

Floor in the straw bale dome 35

Earth plaster mixture 36

Stabilised earth plaster (outside plaster around the entrance) 36

What not to forget 37

Notes from theory session! 39

Straw bales load bearing structures 39

Theory lecturing 39

Theory info sheets 40

Boarding and services! 43

Food 43

Recepy for bread baking 45

1. Preparation 45

2. Dough 45

3. Baking 45

4. Ready 45

Facilities 46
Accompanying activities! 47

Non organized spontaneous activities 47

Home activities 47

Cultural activities 48

Sport activities 50

Organized activities 51

Open day for public - showing the results of the workshop 51

Visiting straw bale yurt at the organic farm 52

Between workshops not supported activities 53

Castle Červený Kameň 53

Folk festival Hontianska Paráda in Hrušov 55

Banská Štiavnica 56

Vysoké Tatry Mountains 57

Castle Spišský hrad 58

Zaježová (ecovillage) 59

Evaluation of the workshop! 60

Participants’ evaluation 60

Information and motivation 60

Personal experience 61

Learning outcomes 61

Comments of participants 62

Lecturers’ evaluation 62

Organizers’ evaluation 63

Additional outcommes! 64

Vocabulary 64

Postcards 67

Movie 68

Saying good bye 69

Introduction
To the workshop background and organizer ArTUR.

NGO ARTUR AND STRAW BALE BUILDING

ArTUR - ’Architecture for Sustainable Development’ is a non government organisation

established in 2001.
ArTUR gathers architects, craftsmen, producers and people involved in building with natural
materials as a part of sustainable architecture nation wide. Now it has 60 members.
Organisation promotes building with natural materials, especially with straw bales (SB) and
clay in many different ways, p. ex: giving information, exhibiting at the fairs, organising
conferences and by giving irregular workshops and informal seminars about straw bale
building and clay techniques for professionals and self builders.
Since 3 years ArTUR is involved in a Leonardo Da Vinci project “European Learning
Partnership for Strawbale Building” funded with support from the European Commission, in
which the partners together are trying to define best building practices in SB building and are
developping curricula and concept for teaching SB building on different levels.

The workshop Ecological building with natural materials was organized as a case study on a
building site of experimental building - loadbearing SB dome with 8 vaults around it.
The author of the design is Gernot Minke. Architectural studio Createrra financed the
building and NGO ArTUR organized educational workshops, using this special building site.
This building is special and probably the first one, where straw bales were cut from two sides
to create exact shape for dome and vaults contructions, which are loadbearing at the same
time and they bear the load of vegetation roof too.
The detailing and the thermic standard was adapted to Slovak conditions by Bjorn Kierulf.
The project for building permition was prepared by architect Zuzana Kierulfová.
The building will serve as an example of possibilities, what more can straw bales offer, than to
be an infill. The interior will also offer different possibilities of clay surfaces.
After finishing, the building will be used by Architectural studio Createrra and by NGO
ArTUR, which will be showing the results of the workshops to the interested people and will
also give seminars with aim to promote ecological building.
Impressum
brochure about straw bale dome workshops

THANK YOU

This brochure was written in November 2010 by Zuzana Kierulf ová and is devoted to Gernot
Minke and participants of the workshop.

Very big Thank you! and appreciations goes to Mr. Gernot Minke, who is the author of the
experimental loadbearing straw bale dome and vaults, and who organized and supervised all
the activities during the workshops. He was running around all the days giving instructions
and lecturing in the evenings.

Big thanks belongs to Bjorn Kierulf, who helped to solve detailing and who provided all the
material needed.
Thanks deserve the members of ArTUR and its friends, who helped to prepare the workshop
and building site or joined organisational duties, especially Marian Ontkoc, Boris Hochel,
Katka Poláková and those who came and helped with open days.
Very big Thanks belong to cooks František Žaček and his helpers: Daniel, Jakub a Lucie.
“Thank you” to Piet Karlstedt and his helpers, who came and demonsrated the power and
speed of the plaster machine.

Thanks belong also to experienced participants, who shared their knowledge with us,
Eduardas and Džuljeta, who helped with the plaster designs, but also all the others who share
their expertise, advanced plastering skills, their presentations, and those who shared their
tools with us, like Edward Willems from Begium.
Thanks goes to the mayor of the village, who supported our activities with lending us the
school facilities and helped with promoting the workshop events and results.
We thank also the neighbours, who were patient and did not mind presence of so many people
around.

We want to thank the music group MED, which came to give us concert.
Thanks belongs to all the Kierulf family members, even the dogs, who let all the people spend
time in their “territory”.

The least but not last one of biggest thanks should go to all the participants who gave the
event such a good energy, enjoyed the workshop and shared their cultural and professional
experiences with others.

Workshop in August 2010.

Workshop in September 2010. Workshops Ecological bulding with natural materials
6-10.9.2010 was supported by Lifelong learning Programme, Grundtvig , Workshops.

SUPPORTERS

One of the workshops Ecological bulding with natural materials 6-10.9.2010 was supported
by Lifelong learning Programme, Grundtvig , Workshops.

‘This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.

This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be
held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.’
SPONSORS

Thanks belongs to companies which gave us sponsorship presents. Thanks to sponsors we

could prepare the case study building for the workshop:
Description of the workshop
Programme of the workshop

MAIN ACTIVITIES

Educational workshop was based on learning by doing - a case study.

Workshop was organized in 4 small groups of 6 people each. The groups changed between
workshop activities during the day. Each group had a coordinater chosen out of participants.
First day started with theory, other days with group excercise, continued with practice and
ended with multimedia presentations in the evening.

THEORY LESSONS

• Theory of principles of sustainable building. Criteria of sustainability met by straw bale,

clay, green roof. Their effect on healthy environment
• Theory and practice of straw bale building: basics, qualities, tests
• Theory and practice of load bearing structures, focusing on vaults and domes: principles,
required quality, experimenting
• Theory and practice of clay plasters, different mixtures, application, clay plaster systems and
clay floors for interiors
• Theory and practice of vegetation roofs: system, structural details, examples

Theoretical and practical topics were accompanied by multimedia presentations, discussions

in the evenings.

PRACTICAL LESSONS

• Showing facilities, workshop site, rules and safety precautions.

• Introducing the tools.
• Demonstration of different natural materials to be used.
• Showing different methods of cutting of straw bales, their adjustment to required
structures.
• (building part of SB loadbearing dome and vaults structure)
• Practicing to apply airtight measures from inside the SB structure.
• Practicing to build in a sample window with detailing.
• Practicing to build in electrical cables in SB structure.
• Determining and mixing earth plaster and earth floor mixtures.
• Mixing with 3 different big mixers, with hand mixer, with hands and feet.
• Plastering the dome and vaults structure with plastering machine, hand tools or hands.

ACCOMPANYING ACTIVITIES

• An excursion was organised to a near building site of straw bale jurt building at the organic
farm.
• Workshop ended with public presentation of the workshop results and social event.
• Last gathering the last day, with photo session, saying good bye and participants got
certificate of participation and representative literature.
Preparation prior to workshop
What was necessary to prepare before?

PREPARING PLACE FOR PRACTICAL SESSIONS (AN EXPERIMENTAL

BUILDING SITE - CASE STUDY)

• Design a project and obtain building permittion

• Digging precise shape and depth for the foam glass foundation and insulation
• Digging holes for concrete foundation under the collumns
• Preparing wooden prefab. fasade elements and OSB support for straw bale walls
• Preparing hollow wooden ring beam to serve also as air tubes and ducts
• Preparing surface for easier walking and parking space
• Covering the building site with a tarp, specially sewed for the occation
• Prepare the container as a shed for tools
PREPARING PRACTICAL SESSIONS

• Covering the building site with a well fixed tarp

• Practical arrangement of the space arround: communication pathes, storage space, covered
working spaces for different activities
• Preparing electrical, water sources and waste disposal
• Preparing safety measures, covering the holes, signing dangerous elements
• Preparing a sheet with table for the daily activities to follow for the each group

• Prerparing supply of material

• Preparing and marking the tools
• Preparing helmets, gloves, respirators

PREPARING THEORETHICAL SESSIONS

• Preparing teaching material

• Preparing needed tools: Flipchart with markers, Dataprojector, screen, enough chairs,
shading of the windows, PC/Mac, pointer, extension cord.
• Shelves for books and brochures
• Place for materials about organization (walls, tabels, shelves)
• Place to hang infosheets and posters

PREPARING PLACE FOR DINING, MEETING AND RESTING

• Table for prepared food, with plates and cutlery, serviettes. To sign or say which food is
vegetarian or vegan. If they serve themselves let them know how big is one portion
• Have brakes for tea and coffee, it is necessary to relax and give possibility to talk inbetween
the lessons
• Each participant can have their signed cup and bottle for drinking during the day
• Find a tool (p.ex. bell) to announce the brakes for eating
• Have the water, bio-sope, towels and toilets close by
• Create a reading corner, sitting corner
• Make a place - a notice board, where you can display daily information, daily program,
names of participants, information about opening hours of shop, post office, map of the
place and surrounding...

PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE WORKSHOP

• Preparing the tags with names and country of participants

• Providing participants the map of surrounding, materials
from closest tourist office, paper with address of place of
the venue, contacts of organizers, emergency call and taxi
numbers
• Preparing bottles of water with names
• Supplying the first aid kit (english languages tags)
• Making duplicates of keys of rooms if needed
• Provide information on telephone cards, provide password to internet network
• Arrange possible number of bicycles (if the workshop takes
place in countryside)
• Agreeing with accountant about the accountance day
• Annonce information about the bigger event to the village
authorities and to the relevant group of people, neighbours
of the place, local shop and other services to expect
foreigners and maybe more movement around.
• Insure comming participants as a group for possible losses
of belongings.
• Prepare the small possible refreshment bar for the evenings,
not included in workshop fee and set up the rules how to
pay for things they would consume
• Arranging somebody who would take photos, or video of the ivent
• Preparing certificates and workshop products to be given to participant
• Checking tasks and duties necessary to fulfill the contract of the grant agreement
ORGANIZING PARTICIPANTS’ ARRIVAL

• Filling in the application form (with name, date of birth, occupation and proffession,
motivation and expectations, address, telephone, skype address, email address, means of
transport, approximate time of arrival. Requirements on food, requirements on
accommodation. Any ilnessess or alergies.
• Organization information about the detailed program of the workshop, details about
payments.
• Instructions what to bring for the workshop. Participants favourite tools, working clothes
and boots, sun protection. Presentation of their work.
• Instructions what to bring for leasure time. Swim suit, musical instrument. If the leisure
activities are voluntary or there is choice, than it is good to ask about interests.
• Organization instructions about the place, expected conditions, internet connection, map
of the place, exact address, tel. number, contact persons of organizations, their tel. number.
Information about transport from the nearest big city, timetable, price.
• Organization instructions about the place, map of the place, exact address, tel. number,
webpage. Contact persons of organizations, their tel. number. Information about transport
from the nearest big city, timetable, price.
• Instructions about required health insurance.
ORGANIZERS’ ROLE

• Be prepared to wellcome participants

• Introducing all the things needed to know the place and feel safe in the new surrounding
• Introducing safety measures
• Saying the rules and limits
• Introducing the whole programme and the way of changing activities
• Keeping the time schedule
• Each morning introducing (the trainer or organizer) the daily plan and activities
• Introducing trainers, participants, ice-breaking game
• Evaluating after first day to have immediate feedback if something does not work well- try to
solve possible problems
• Taking care of Birthdays or other personal thing effecting the training process and attention
of participant
• Each day starting (organizer or trainer) with positive short game or excersize to build up a
good atmosphere for the day
• Chosing the day, when other members of organization can come and see the ivent
• Preparing material for possible press people or visitors with interest
• Preparing dictionary together with participants in the breaks
• Taking care of cultural events and excursions
• Taking care of photodocumentation of the event
• Taking care of written evaluation of the course by participants
• Preparing good bye social event with giving certificates and representation materials
• Respond to participants after event, dealing with things forgotten at the venue
• Setting up a common platform on internet to exchange photos, further ideas, contacts
• Creating notes from workshop and distributing them to participants
Notes from practical session
Activities during the workshops

WORKING WITH STRAW BALES FOR LOAD BEARING STRUCTURES

Measuring and adjusting straw bales

Testing the quality, weighing and

measuring the bales, trying
moisture content by feeling.

Dividing bales according the sizes.

Marking the size.

Measure to set the angle of cutting

machine to the needed position.
Cutting the bale simultaneously from both sides under specific angle.

Trying loadbearing bale. Bending the bale for dome. Trimming the edges.

Dividing the bale under angle with

doubleneedle.
Building SB load bearing vault

Building and placing temporary wooden form work

Building the vault with exactly cut bales. $ Boards for sliding the bale in its position.

Wooden hammer for SB. Fixing the strips. Tying strips to pre-press SB.
Building SB load bearing dome

Rotational guide placed in$ Fixing the bale with 3 sticks. Producing wooden sticks.
the centre.

Building the vault with exactly cut bales. $ Thin boards help us to get the last bale in the
$ $ $ $ $ $ position.

Inserting the last bale of the raw. $ $ The dome is completed, only the hole for
$ $ $ $ $ the skylight is left.
Airtightness

OSB taped with special

airtight tape. Tape is
applied also on the
connection of glass
(windows without frames)
and OSB window sills.
Then the glass is
temporarili fixed in
position with small
wooden planks, later with
woodfiber boards on the
inside and polystyren parts
on the outside.

Behind the wooden

elements, there is an
airtight paper, connected
to plaster by plastering
over it. Thus the airtight
layer is continuous

Clay plaster and clay floor

provide airtight layer, but
any connections have to
be carefully treated to be
airtight too.
Regulated ventilation and heating

The dome has regulated ventilation distributed by hollow wooden ring beam.

The air ducs are created simply by a hole in the wood in each vaults. The air is distributed to
each of vault spaces and is sucked back from the kitchen.

Heating is solved by
electric wires fixed to
OSB and reed mats.
Then plastered with
clay plaster.
Humidity measurement

A moisture measurement “LongLastStraw Moisture Monitor and Logger was installed in the
straw bale construction under the clay plaster from interior and exterior and in the middle of
the bales. The logger takes the measurement from each sensor once an hour and transferes to
USB memory stick.

The 4 cm thick clayi earth plaster should provide a bumper to possible problem of due point
not being in the straw. On the photo - repairing the cracks.
Windtightness and water resistance

Capilary water was stopped from the bottom by crushed foam glass with drainage around the
building. Against wind it is from the bottom protected by earth plaster.

OSB boards are protected against water by bitumenous sheets. Space between the vaults was
filled with lime stones, foam glass in the bags, stones mixed with clay rammped to create
desired shape and all finally plastered with 4 cm earth plaster rich on clay. After drying dome
and vaults were covered by one piece of EPDM foil, which protects against water and wind.

Wind proof fassade paper was fixed under the untreated oak cladding.
Insulation

Straw bales are well pressed 120 kg/m3 and the size was mostly 38 x 50 x 85.

Gaps between
the bales were
filled with
loose straw
with the help
of a wooden
tool.

The bales were cut under specified angle and served as construction blocks and insulation at
the same time.
Foam glass was used as insulation under the building in the layer of 30 cm after ramming it.
Foam glass was also put in the bags and used to fill the spacec between the vaults.
Unfortunately work with foam glass was rather dusty and we needed to use respirators.

OSB boxes under the straw bales and fassade wooden elements were filled with blowen in
cellulose.

Insulation around the trippel glasses without the frame was from the interior solved by wood
fiber boards put in layers on top of each other to form desired round shape of the window sills.
From the exterior there was used XPS polystyren boards cut with resistant wire to fit the
window sill.
Preparing surface for plastering

Uneaven parts of straw bales were trimmed with the alligator saw, then the surface of the bales
was penetrated by clay slip, to prepare the surface for the base plaster.

OSB boards were covered by reed mats fixed with pins,

so that the base plaster could be applied.

Wood fiber boards were pained with clay slip, to

provide better adhesion for the base plaster.
Preparing earth plaster mixtures

Bought clay powder and local send and gravel was used for plaster mixtures. Gravel was
seeved to needed size for machine plastering. Fine straw was mixed into interior base clay
plaster.

Mixture was mixed by big machine mixers, by hand mixers, sometimes even by feet.
Applying base coat plaster

Base coat was applied by machine, then smoothed by hand tools, or it was applied by hands.

Base coat was applied by machine, then smoothed by hand tools, or it was applied by hands.
Final decorative plaster was applied after base plaster dried. Each vault got different design.

This is a “coffee” plaster. The coffee was mixed in the plaster. It smelled very nice and it
looked interesting, but the coffee beans coloured the plaster around. Visitors thought that it
was a mould, so the plaster was taken down and substituted by new experiment, the coffee
beans firs dipped in water glass, dried and mixed in the plaster, but the same problem
appeared. Finally we plastered without adding the beans and we pressed it into half dry
plaster.
The texture was created by hand tool and then some parts were smoothed with a stone.The

Linear sgraffito was used in a very unusual way - all workshop participants put their signature
in one of the vaults.

Left plaster mixture was dried in pieces to

be stored for repairs.
Eduardas and Džuljeta from Lithuania suggested possible designs for the dome plaster.

The texture was made with trowel and smoothed with wet brush. Then it was painted with
white clay plaster.
EARTH FLOOR MIXTURE

Floor in the small earth brick dome

9$ plaster (Picas)
10 $ grinded sand, 0 – 4 mm (sharp)
4$ sand, 0 – 4 (round)
9$ gravel, 4 – 6 mm
1$ linseed oil (~ 3%)
0,04 $ iron oxide (Fe2O3, red)
3$ straw, grinded
Floor in the straw bale dome

1st layer – rammed earth:

1$ pea gravel 0,5 – 1 cm
1,5$ plaster
1$ course sand
1$ broken sand

2st layer:
1$ clay powder
1,5$ fine sand
1$ find sand – white
3$ grinded gravel (0,5 white)
2,5 $ cca. water

3st layer:
EARTH PLASTER MIXTURE

Stabilised earth plaster (outside plaster

around the entrance)

1st layer:

10 plaster powder
10 course sand
10 fine sand
1,8 bitumenous emulsion 6%

2nd layer:
with 8% emulsion
WHAT NOT TO FORGET

To have covered place for

manipulating with straw bales.
Cleaning the place from loose
straw.
Installing fire extinguishers.

Covering place for working and the building site with solid construction and tarp.

Thinking in advance what to do with loads of cut straw.$ $ Access to different gravels.
To have all the supplies, tools which are necessary and offen needed for the whoule group of
6 people. Respirators, good shoes, different types of gloves, helmets. Edward from Belgium
saved us a lot with his good Makyta tools.

One should not forget to leave space for the window of truth and the glass or window should
be prepared in advance.

It is necessary to have some ventilators to

fasten the drying process, or to have longer
breaks between workshops.
Notes from theory session
during the workshops

STRAW BALES LOAD BEARING STRUCTURES

Theory lecturing

Theory lessons were given inside

in the dining room, or in the open
air covered space at school close
by.

Some theoretical topics were

good to explain directly at the
building site, showing the
detailing or theory about earth
plasters or earth floors.
Theory info sheets
Boarding and services
during the workshops

FOOD

The cook František

Žáček was excellent,
here you can see
participants aplauding
to his job results.

The food was tasty and healthy, 3 times a day big meals and in the morning and afternoon
break there was often also cooked refreshment served. The dining room was cosy and if the
weather was good, there was place to sit on a terace or in the garden.
Big pumkin for a big hungry group.

Bio duck comming from a place 1 hour drive.

Džuljeta helped to prepare the Duck “lala
Tzarevna”, since then Džuljeta got the
nickname Tzarevna.

Tzarevna helping in the kitchen. Every day

there were fresh salads on the table, which
required a lot of cutting.

František with a helper were working very

hard, going to sleep late and waking up first
to prepare warm filling breakfast, and
sometimes baking home made bread. They
were helping to supply the kitchen with bio
products and bio vegetables.
RECEPY FOR BREAD BAKING

1. Preparation

Mix 6 soup spoons of yeast

left from the last bread dough
(in one direction) with 600
ml of water (30°C) and with
600 gramms of fine grinded
whole wheet bio flour.
Cover the glass with mix
with 2 plastic bags and tie it
airtight. Wrap it all in a
kitchen towel (instead of
plastic it would be better to
use vaxed canvas).
Leave it 6 to10 hours in a conditions of 30°C.

2. Dough

From the mix after 6-10 hours take aside 6 table spoons for next bread and put it in a
well closed glass. It keeps in a fridge for 6 weeks.
You need:
1000 gramms of flour (1:1 whole ray fine grinded and wheat flour - you can
supplement the wheet with 200 grammes of wheet + 300 gramms of Triticum spelta )
2 soup spoons of salt (it is possible to add 2 soup spoons of grinded cumin)
It is possible to add coriander, anise, fennel, nuts, seeds, olives)
Mix everything as a dry mixture. (Use movements in all directions)
Add prepared mix with yeast and mix everything together. Slowly add 1 liter of luke
water. Mix untill the dough is light and slightly sticks to the fingers.
Lightly smooth with wet hands and cover with kitchen towel.
Leave 3-5 hours in 30°C conditions.

3. Baking

Put some flour in the bread basket and fill with dough, cover it with kitchen towel, let
it be for 30 to 40 minutes. (In the meantime turn on the owen.)
Then tilt the daw onto an oiled baking plate.
Put the baking plate in the owen and bake with 250°C for 20 to 25 minutes. Then turn
the baking plate and bake another 15 minutes with 200°C. Again turn the plate and
bake another 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Ready

Take the bread from owen. Put it on a wooden board.

FACILITIES

Internet connection seems to be

inevitable theese days. Participants had
possibility to connect to wifi. There were
some problems with buying telephone
credit cards for international calls. They
were soon sold out in the village post
office.

Reading corner with books to study was

provided. At the international workshops
it is very handy to have a big map of
World, so that participants can show
where they come from.

There was a lot of board games provided,

but not enough time for trying them.

Some bycicles were provided for a nearby

tours. Luckily some participants brought
their bikes too, so they could cycle during
the siesta for example to the nearby lakes.
Accompanying activities
during the workshops

NON ORGANIZED SPONTANEOUS ACTIVITIES

Home activities

Small natural pond

near the building
site served as first
aid in hot weather.

People liked to sit near the fire and sing. $ The youngest participants tried joggeling.

Everyday activity was

chasing the dogs who
escaped from the house
and were chasing all the
others apart from
participants.
Cultural activities

Dancing in the small dome while $ $ Marian and Zuzana are teaching participants
finishing the earth floor.$ $ $ slovak dances. This is “karička”.

Some participants were lucky to experience village party, where we were invited righ after
they showed the dome and workshop in the main news on TV. Hruby Šúr was for the first time
on TV! Participants had a great time, sometimes watching the local people and sometimes
locals obsered them.

Good that we practiced slovak dances before. Especially the“flying ladies” became popular.
Christening party of the straw bale dome “Our dome”

Pierre composed a workshop song:

There was a dome in Hrubý Šúr....

The group
MED (Honey)
came to throw
us a concert.
Sport activities

Jumping in the straw.

Youngest tried balancing, skate

boarding and joggeling with sticks.

Playing frisbee or bedminton or volleyball on the grass next to the building site.
ORGANIZED ACTIVITIES

Open day for public - showing the results of the workshop

Presentations during the event of open hours to public.

Visitors
liked the results of the workshops very much and they
appreciated the food of our cooks too.

The mayor came too.

Visiting straw bale yurt at the organic farm

PPT presentation was good, but visiting the straw bale yurt and organic farm in flash was even
better. The farmer Jan Šlinsky invented the way of growing vegetables with the tools working
on arms powered by electricity - “agrocircle” www.agrokruh.sk

Green house and behind is a yurt insulated $ “agrocircle” and bellow is Katarina in the
Bellow is interier.$ $ $ $ green house with yellow melon and tomatos.
BETWEEN WORKSHOPS NOT SUPPORTED ACTIVITIES

Castle Červený Kameň

Guided toure through the

castle and its cellar.

Small connection to the earth ball test :-)

Pia in the one of the biggest cellars.

Visiting festival of vine harvesting
and open vinyards day

Young vine festival in Rača.

Just young vine and crouds of people.

Visiting Aquapark

Especially the sauna and wellness was needed after being all mudy.
Folk festival Hontianska Paráda in Hrušov

Festival in the village and peoples yards.

Folk dances. Girls dressed in the costume of Myjava region.

Visiting the very old house with straw thached roof. Accepting the invitation of the local friend
of Boris.

This is the only torzo left from

clay craftsmanship, which was
showen on the festival. Other
crafts were more kept.
Banská Štiavnica

UNESCO town. Middle aged silver mining town in the middle of the mountains.

On the roof of the church.

A private guide tour by our friend.
Vysoké Tatry Mountains

From summer going to

winter season.

From summer going to winter season.

Castle Spišský hrad

Drying cloth in the CHATA. Playing games while

raining.

The largest castle in the middle Europe.

Zaježová (ecovillage)

Participants visited in
Zaježová near Zvolen, the
first straw bale house in
Slovakia built by Tomáš
Bužek.

The nature and young

people living there are very
friendly.
Evaluation of the workshop
Building with natural materials 6-10.9. 2010

PARTICIPANTS’ EVALUATION

Results of the evaluation of 17 participants. (the average of answeres was calculated and if
there was no answer indicated, we counted scale 3 as answer)
Scale 1-5: 1 = not at all, 5 = very much

Information and motivation

How did you hear about the Workshop?

10 participants from workshop organizer and others from G.Minke, spanish network,
colleague, internet, Gernot Minke's web site or from friends.

Which were the factors which motivated you to participate?

The subject of the Workshop interested me 4,94

I found the proposed pedagogic approach attractive 4,00
I expected the workshop to provide a culturally enriching experience 4,23
I thought the workshop would give me an opportunity to learn or practice a 3,00
foreign language
I thought it would be interesting to attend a European event 3,58
I felt that attending the workshop would further my career plans 3,94
I thought that attending the workshop would give me an exciting or useful 3,94
European experience
Other (please specify):
opportunity to visit place not like a tourist, to be part of international team, social
experience, widen social network over Europe, to improve teaching skills
Personal experience

How satisfied are you with the content of the Workshop? 4,47
Do you feel the Workshop has achieved its objectives? 4,29
How satisfied are you with the duration of the Workshop? 4,35
How satisfied are you with the dates of the Workshop? 4,58
How satisfied are you with the location of the Workshop? 4,64
How satisfied are you with the accommodation? 4,71
How satisfied are you with the other practical arrangements (food, leisure 4,82
activities…)?
Did you encounter any serious problems before or during the Workshop? 1,29
If yes, please specify:
more practice than theory was given, did not give different points of view of topics

Learning outcomes

Did the Workshop meet your expectations, in terms of?

interesting treatment of the topic 4,41
providing a culturally enriching experience 4,41
providing an opportunity to learn or practice a foreign language 3,88
providing an exciting or useful European experience 4,41
Are you satisfied with the learning recognition you received for participating in 4,35
this Workshop (e.g. attendance certificate, diploma, etc…)?

How satisfied are you with the Workshop activities and the following aspects?

Methodology of the Workshop 4,29

The number of hours of activities 4,06
The equipment used 3,94
Skills and expertise of the teachers / trainers 4,65

Do you think participation in the Workshop will help you in:

Starting / continuing studies 4,12
Developing your career / finding a job 3,94
Your professional practice 4,29
Your volunteering activities 4,29
Your personal life 4,29
Other (please specify):
meeting people with similar interests, learn about opinions and background of
other people with similar interests but different country

Comments of participants

Positive comments

• Workshop was successful because of real practical learning and rich cultural experience
• Big variety of different nations and languages – very positive
• Big expertise of participants – a lot of professional exchanges
• Good location, vellcomming host organization
• Great people, wonderful time

Negative comments

• Provide more money for organization, for more tools

• Provide more info on medical insurance
• Provide more info on safety features
• Workshop should last more than one week
• Necessary to share accommodation with other to know each other better
• Give more time to socialize and share between participants
• Give more balance between activities
• Advertise such workshops between students

LECTURERS’ EVALUATION

The course was very successfull. It worked out to be very good for the practical tasks to work
in 4 small groups of 5 people, headed by a coordinator and having in each group participants
of 6 diferent nations. Furthermore it was very positive that 8 participants where experts in the
field of clay plaster and/or straw bale construction, so the exchange of diferent knowledge
and experience were an important imput. It was further very positive that normally the whole
group was together also at evenings to join social activities and cultural exchange.
Prof.em. Dr.-Ing. Gernot Minke,
11.10.2010
Kassel, Germany
ORGANIZERS’ EVALUATION

• Workshop was successfull, good atmosphere was created and participants were mostly fully
involved and reacted positively to activities.
• However, the program was too ambitious and case study is the most difficult way of training.
Without such an experienced lecturer we had, it would be hard. On the other hand, the
participants confirmed that it would not be so ineteresting for them, if the organizers would
not provide a case study building site.
• Case study, as it is a real situation, demanded more material, exact and planned sequency of
activities and more control of quality when practicing. There was quite a big demand on
shopping and suplying, because all the participants were practicing all the activities.
• It was very positive to have so many different countries present and the fact that the
organization could chose people for the workshop worked very well. We had a very big
demand and our participants turned to be really interested and more of them had some
experience, so they could learn not only from trainers, but also from each other, as culturaly
there are different practices and
experiences.
• At the beginning of course we found
ot that most of participants want to
be accommodated close to the event,
spend evenings together, so it was
more difficult for organizers to
provide these possibilities in the
village.
• The venue of the workshop turned to
be ideal with the space, cosy homely
atmosphere in the building, outside
terraces and small natural pond, fire
place and lawn for games outside.
• The cooperation with village
authorities was good and they let us
use area for part of practical sessions
a very close covered space with
toilets.

$ $ $ $ $ Experienced trainer - Gernot Minke

Additional outcommes
VOCABULARY

Created by ArTUR and participants

Senec • Slovakia • 6. - 10. október 2010

Participants from12
countries were present at
the workshop. They
created “Babel straw
bale dome vocabulary”.

$ Slovakia
$ Czech Republic
$ Portugal
$ Spain
$ Poland
$ Germany
$ France
$ Lithuania
$ Romania
$ Hungary
$ Belgium-Flamish
$ Canada
$ Turkey (august)
$ Bulgaria (august)
POSTCARDS
MOVIE

Michal Napierzynski, one of the participants from Poland was making a movie from the
workshop and it will be published on utube.

This is a funny and very nice postcard made by Michal.

SAYING GOOD BYE

Saying good bye to participants from Lithuania.

Saying good bye to David, who came from

furthest - from Canada

Participants left in Hrubý Šúr not only

results of their good energy and work, but
also a lot of their belongings, which they
forgot. They will have to come back to
visit us one day and take their things.