Date: 12 – 16 May 2025

Workshop organized by BaanDinDoi and ECHO foundation.

Venue: ECHO Training Center Chiang-Mai (San Sai) 

The ECHO Asia Impact Center and Small Farm Resource Center, exists to equip agriculture and community development practitioners to be more effective in their work serving smallholder farmers in Asia. ECHO provides technical resources, publications, training, and seeds to their network members residing in Asia.

This course is especially suitable for those who:

• seek an overall introduction to earth building and discover it by practise
• have a plan/a dream to build an earth home (or any small-sized building such as a guest room, meditation/yoga/music room, outdoor kitchen etc)

In addition, participants who are community/NGO workers will have the opportunity to reflect on how these techniques could be used in their community or projects.

Main points:

• Learning two building techniques: Adobe bricks and Wattle-and-Daub
• Accomodation options: stay at ECHO center or in a hotel/guest-house of your choice. Good opportunity for people living in Chiang-Mai if they want to go back home every evening
• Fair price (5,500 THB for the course fee, including lunch)
• Training in English, translation in Thai possible
• Sharing a great time with like-minded people

Curriculum

	DAY 1 / 8.30 AM – 5 PM
Introduction to earth construction	In the classroom, we will explore topics including foundations, drainage, load-bearing vs. non-load-bearing walls, and connection with the foundation.   Our hands-on practice will include testing the soil, making the right mix for the brick and the mortar, and making bricks with a mold.
	DAY 2 / 8.30 AM – 5 PM
Building Walls	In the classroom, we will explore topics including thermal mass, insulation, passive cooling, and introduction to bio-climatic design.   Our hands-on practice will include laying the bricks (by hand and with tools), how to make a leveled wall.
	DAY 3 / 8.30 AM – 5 PM
Using Earth Building for Your Community	In the classroom, we will explore topics including an introduction to other building techniques (earthbags, cob, light earth, strawbale), the characteristics, advantages and limits of each technique, the use of earth building in development projects (disaster relief, earth brick small business, etc.)   Hands-on session: We will practice wattle-and-daub technique
	DAY 4 / 8.30 AM – 5 PM
Plastering	In the classroom, we will explore topics including inputs on plastering, and testing several ratios for the plaster. Our hands-on practice will include preparing the mix and plastering practise.
	DAY 5 / 8.30 AM – 5 PM
Site Visits	We will visit various projects using earth building.

General information

• Venue ‘ECHO Asia Impact Center’, San Sai, Chiang-Mai, 30 minutes from Chiang Mai airport
• Course in English, with a possible translation in Thai
• 14 participants maximum
• Schedule 8.30am to 5pm with an hour lunch break. 10 AM: 30 minutes coffee break
• Trainer Alain Madec, natural builder and founder of ‘Baan Din Doi’. Assistant: Khun Chao, ECHO staff

More information about the workshop content: contact Alain at baandindoi@gmail.com

For registration or information about the workshop logistics, price etc contact Hanni Hoppel at ECHO Asia at hoppel@echocommunity.org