Do you ever see a space along the sidewalk that needs some Earth Art but there’s not space for a large structure such as bench or a hut? We will be building a “Cobelisk” tower which will have a living roof, nooks to put special things, a stone base, and a fun decorative feature. It will be built outside along the highway just as you enter town.

Presented By: Miguel “Coballero” Elliott

Learn hands-on with Miguel “Sir Cobalot” Elliott during two workshops:

1) Miguel will be sharing the process of building a small hut built out of pallets, insulated with straw, covered in an earthen cob plaster, called a “Palletable Cobin”. This structure is very easy to build, affordable, super well insulated, non-toxic, and is a great solution for low cost housing.

2) For anyone who wants to learn cob and adobe building hands-on, Miguel will also be building a cob & adobe bench in the children’s play area between the oven and cob play structure. Covered in the Workshop will be building a sturdy foundation, earthen sculpting, setting Adobe bricks and plastering.

Presented By: Miguel “Sir Cobalot” Elliott

Miguel Elliott, knighted as “Sir Cobalot” has been leading cob workshops, teaching in schools, and running his business Living Earth Structures for over 12 years. His vast array of projects include building an organic nightclub and yoga studio in downtown Chicago, building a mushroom shaped hut in Italy, 2 restaurants in Guatemala, an orphanage in Thailand, and at least 200 cob structures along the West Coast. His most meaningful natural building experience was in Patagonia, where he participated in numerous work parties, or “Mingas” and has been working to integrate this tradition locally. Having been dedicated to natural building for so long, Miguel has developed many tricks of the trade to make his projects done more efficiently, durable, and aesthetically pleasing. Often his workshops include upbeat work chants, live drumming while cob stomping, and sprinkles the class with his unique vocobulary. His current focus is on working with County and City officials to educate them on how to create low income housing on available property.

2017 Convergence Workshop: Building a “Palletable” Cobin

2015 Convergence Workshop: Natural Building Made Easy

In this hands on natural building workshop, participants will construct a small house in just a couple hours. Miguel “Cobalot” Elliott will teach how to build a small house using all recycled materials, such as pallets, bottles, straw, and earth. The structure could be used as a dog house, coop, children’s play house, or a meditation hut. Covered in the workshop will be an explanation of the 3 essentials in building an earthen structure- good boots, hat and jacket, namely a sturdy foundation, roof, and plaster.

One of the many benefits of natural building is that it offers an excellent opportunity for people with little or no construction experience to come together in a work party and create a structure together. In this workshop, participants will learn the basics about building foundations, framing, sculpting the walls, building a roof, plastering and protecting the structure. There will also be a discussion on building cob benches, ovens, adobe bricks, and sculptures.

Learn More About Miguel “Cobalot” Elliott