Instructors and Leaders

Pat: Pat has been a builder for over 20 years, working first with stick-building and quickly moving to alternative styles of construction with an emphasis on natural building. Pat has built sustainable homes for people in Colorado, Arizona, and more recently Mexico. His first introduction to strawbale building was at a workshop taught by Matts Myhrman; Out on Bale in Tuscon, AZ. He has also worked with cob, adobe, earthships, and earthbag building. Pat is a qualified instructor who has spent time working with university students and volunteers interested in sustainable building. His friendly personality and hard-working attitude makes him a joy to work with, and his passion for sustainable building will leave students inspired.

Brian: Brian is the founder of The Bosque Village, and will be on site during the workshop to assist with building and lead a discussion on permaculture and sustainable living. Since he founded the Bosque Village in 2004, Brian has overseen the installation of solar panels and the construction of cisterns with over 100,000 liters capacity, 5 composting toilets, 5 cabanas, and a cordwood sauna. He is originally from Seattle, WA, and works as a painter here at the Bosque.

Marie: Marie spent two years working as a construction site supervisor for Habitat for Humanity in North Carolina, where she worked with volunteers and staff stick-building energy-star certified homes. As a resident of the Bosque Village for nearly a year, Marie has begun learning about natural building construction techniques. She will help lead and also learn during the workshop, as well as cook delicious vegetarian food for all participants.

Gonzalo: Gonzalo has been working with the Bosque Village for about 6 months, doing our stem walls and various other projects that require an abanil (concrete work and stone projects). He has learned how to do cob, and will help with cob-mixing and teaching during the workshop. With experience in the United States and Mexico, Gonzalo has been a great addition to the Bosque team, and we're happy to have his help for this workshop!

Gomercindo: Gomercindo, or "Chileno", has been working with the Bosque Village for over 2 years on various projects. He does an incredible amount of plant propagation and excellent garden work here at the Bosque. He has recently learned how to do Earth Roofs, and will help lead that project during our workshop, as well as participate and learn about other methods of natural building.