First experiences with clay - Earth Workshop
Year: 25th and 26th April 2026
Type: Rammed earth & Wattle and Daub & Adobe Bricks & White Clay Painting
Location: Ghana, Butre
This April, 13 participants from Accra, KNUST in Kumasi, and Germany came together at the Zero Km House in Butre for a hands-on workshop exploring the potential of earth as a building material.
Using the Zero Km House for the first time in its function as Training and Education Center for Earthen Construction (TETEC), participants worked with locally sourced clay and explored a range of traditional construction techniques, including rammed earth, wattle and daub, adobe brick making, bricklaying and earth plastering. Alongside the practical sessions, we discussed material performance, moisture management, termite protection, roof detailing, and approaches to material stabilization.
The workshop offered an opportunity to connect theory with practice while highlighting earth as a locally available, low-carbon, and climate-responsive building material. Hands in the soil, knowledge was shared across generations, ideas were exchanged, and connections began to grow. By the end of the weekend, the conversations continued long after the tools had been put down. We hope that the participants will carry their experience beyond the workshop, inspiring those around them to rediscover earth as a sustainable building material and allowing the workshop's impact to reach far beyond the borders of Butre.
A huge thank you to our Earth Artisans and Teachers, who generously shared their knowledge, skills, and experience: Joseph Enyarko, Bright Sowolo Kamasa, Janet Apewu, Solomon Yankee, Wisdom Kobena Gawuku.
Thank you to everyone who joined us! To the students from KNUST and all the earth-building enthusiasts who made this workshop such a memorable experience. Earth shapes community.
Wattle and Daub Workshop -
Hochschule RheinMain
Year: February 2025
Type: Wattle and Daub
Location: Ghana, Somanya, Bamboo Training Center
In February 2025, ISOPTERRA hosted a hands-on Wattle and Daub workshop in Somanya, Ghana, together with students from the Hochschule RheinMain (HSRM) as part of an educational program organized by the university’s Center of Excellence for Renewable Building Materials and Climate-Friendly Construction.
Led by ISOPTERRA co-founder Marvin Martin and earthen construction artisan Bright Sowolo Kamasa, the workshop introduced the students to the traditional building technique of Wattle and Daub. Instead of conventional timber, bamboo was used as the wattle structure, demonstrating how locally available renewable materials can be combined with earth to create simple and resource-efficient building systems.
The workshop took place on the site of a planned Bamboo Training Center, an ongoing collaborative project involving HSRM and local and international partners. The center is envisioned as a place for education, practical training and knowledge exchange around bamboo, from cultivation and treatment to processing and construction.
For the students, the workshop was an opportunity to move from theory into practice. Working directly with the materials and with guidance from experienced builders, they learned how a Wattle and Daub wall system can be constructed and filled with earth. The workshop also created space for teamwork and an exchange of knowledge between different building traditions and experiences.
The experience showed once again that sustainable construction is not only about the materials themselves, but also about sharing knowledge and building together! We are grateful to everyone involved!
Interested in booking an earth-building workshop for your group?
We offer tailored workshops for schools, universities, organizations, communities, and private groups. Workshops can take place at the Zero Km House in Butre or at a location of your choice. We'd be happy to discuss a format that fits your needs. Get in touch with us!