ECO-BUILDING online learning platform
This site is under development, as it is the official site
for the Erasmus+ project ActEco 2019-2021 (see disclaimer in the footer).
Earth Building
Online Courses about Clay, Earth, Cob, Adobe, Mud, Rammed Earth, Earthen Floors, Plasters, Renders, Finishes...
Strawbale Building
Online Courses about Loadbearing, Infill in Post & Beam or Hybrid (CUT, OrganiCut, Greb,...), Wrapping
Sustainability & Training
Online Courses about how to make a Sustainable Change in Life, School and Training
Choose your ActEco-Course:
There are OPEN COURSES (without registering),
short FREE COURSES (to register, with trainer-evaluation)
and more in depth ADVANCED COURSES (with trainer-evaluation, to register and finish previous courses before) on this ActEco Platform.
See more in “About” how to register or login.
STEP U1: INTRO INTO STRAW BALE BUILDING
This course is already available. Content: History and Modern Straw Bale Building, Customizing & Handling: quality, orientation, measuring, shaping, dividing, rebinding, cutting and notching bales, density, moisture, tools for straw bale building and storage of bales.
STEP U2: INFILL & PREFABRICATION
This course is already available. Content: handling tools, plan & construct INFILL double post walls, HYBRID constructions (CUT, OrganiCUT, GREB), execute different infill construction methods, know about PREFAB straw bale elements and advantages and disadvantages of the different techniques.
STEP U3: Load Bearing Straw Bale Construction
This course will be available on April 19, 2021 (had to be postponed). Content: Ioad bearing construction methods, resizing, compressing and fixing bales, construction of window boxes, base- and top plates, connection to roofs and ceilings, selecting good quality straw bales, structural behaviour, innovative examples of load bearing construction.
STEP U4: Straw Bale Wrapping & Renovation
This course is already available. Content: checking existing constructions, different wrapping and insulation methods (full bale with hybrid construction, binding, compressing; straw flakes with battens, planks, pallets, boards; prefab), finishing, inside insulation
STEP U5: Finishes – Clay, Lime, Cladding
This course will be available on April 29, 2021. Content: tools and machines for rendering and cladding, prepare the plaster base, plaster/render mixture (clay, lime), wall and supporting constructions for cladding, cladding systems, airtight, wind and rain proof details, calculating rendering and cladding quantities.
STEP U7: Architecture and Planning of Straw Bale Buildings
This course is already available. Content: principles of solar design, national building laws, building materials, cost estimation, technical details, sketching a basic design and a construction plan, understand and repair most common faults and damages in straw bale construction