Cob Outdoor Kitchen with Oven & Rocket Cooktop at Sitio do Valverde in Coruche, Portugal

Date/Time
Date(s) - Sunday, September 14, 2025 - Sunday, October 12, 2025
8:30 am - 5:30 pm

OUR HOST

Bom Dia! My name is Nuno Figueira and I was born in the southern Portuguese town of Faro and have lived in Lisbon for the last 20 years. My background has always been in theater and technical and visual experimentation using images and video-mapping in the visual and performing arts, helping transform mine and others’ visions and perceptions towards a new way of seeing. Parallel to this profession, I have been developing a new path in natural building or, in Portuguese, “bioconstrução”, which has also been integrated into my theater-based work.

Sitio Valverde is 6000 m2 of very special sanctuary land, located one hour northeast of Lisbon near the town of Coruche.  There we hold a variety of workshops and promote connection with Nature.  Situated in a quiet rural zone surrounded by green, it is an ideal environment to relax and disconnect from urban life.  We offer diverse activities including natural building, walks, yoga and meditation.  We offer accommodations in a typical “ribatejana” house as well as space for camping and caravans.

Sitio do Valverde is more than a space.  We also want to create a farm school for personal, social and ecological growth and development with practical and theoretical classes, like natural building techniques with Earth, bamboo and straw, as well as regenerative design.  We attract communities who value collaborative learning and integration with Nature and want to enrich their lives and those of their neighbors with new sustainable building systems and a greater respect for the Earth and Life.

 

THE LOCATION

Just a 20-minute walk from Sitio Valverde, the Sorraia River is the natural heart of the town offering birdwatching, aquatic activities, picnics, walks, and relaxation.  Nature is everywhere in the Coruche region and the landscape vistas are endless.  Here far from Lisbon, people come for the fresh air, the peace and the serenity.  One can also appreciate the land from above by taking a hot-air balloon ride and then on the weekends visiting the mountains, parks and “barragens” in the surrounding areas.  Of course the Lisbon area usually has many cultural and music events happening every weekend as well.

 

THE PROJECT

We will build an outdoor kitchen for Sitio Valverde with a cob oven and a rocket stove cooktop as well as benches, countertop, shelving and a space for a sink, all under a green reciprocal roof, built in Week 1.  This outdoor kitchen will serve as a gathering place for community celebration as well as a learning venue for ancestral and traditional hand-made crafts and cooking like bread-making and other healthful and sustaining practices.  The outdoor kitchen will strengthen community connections by offering a space for sharing experiences, exchanging knowledge and celebrating the simplicity and wisdom of the old ways.  Its construction reflects our commitment to sustainability, tradition and collaboration, fundamental elements in the creation of a living lively community in harmony with its environment.

 

DETAILED COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

Throughout the workshop, we will build a complete outdoor kitchen using Cob. The kitchen will feature a wood-fired cob oven, a rocket-Lorena stove for pot cooking, and various amenities such as shelves, niches, cob benches, and cob walls. The entire structure will be sheltered by a stunning reciprocal roof, topped with a green roof system.

In the first week, we will focus on constructing the roof, starting with the primary reciprocal structure, followed by secondary beams. We will then install the sheathing and a multiple-layered green roof.

During the second and third weeks, we will begin working with cob to build the perimeter walls (half-height) while simultaneously constructing the Lorena stove and cob oven. This parallel workflow will allow for proper drying times. Additionally, participants will receive both theoretical and practical instruction to ensure a thorough understanding of the techniques and materials used.

In the fourth week, we will add the finishing touches: sculpting and plastering the entire structure with a variety of earthen plasters.

This workshop covers a range of fascinating topics and skills and is the perfect opportunity for anyone eager to learn about natural building and specialize in earth-based cooking appliances!

 

GENERAL SCHEDULE

The 28-day Outdoor Cob Kitchen Workshop consists of 20 days (Monday through Friday) of learning & construction for 4 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon with theoretical instruction (lectures with graphics) on most afternoons to complement the hands-on experience.

Students arrive on Sunday between noon and 2pm and settle in. The Workshop begins at 4pm and ends on a Sunday, 4 weeks later, around 2pm. Students can arrive a day or two before to acclimate and settle in (please let us know) but will need to cover their own food
 needs and accommodations if not camping, unless a work trade or meal fee is approved by Host (to be decided closer to the date). The Opening Circle begins promptly at 4pm, followed by a Host Site Orientation at 5pm, Dinner at 6pm and an Introduction to the Project by the Instructors at 7pm. 

We require that students arrive Saturday before dark or Sunday by 2pm AT THE LATEST!!! We need to begin ALL TOGETHER, as the most important information for the success and smooth-running of the workshop and the well-being of the students will happen on Sunday between 4pm and 8:30pm.  It is very inconvenient for students, Host, Instructors and the group, when someone arrives late and misses any of the opening sessions.  Please be punctual because Monday morning at 9 am we begin prepping our roof rafters and getting them on the supporting structure!

Following Breakfast from 7:30-8:15am, the morning learning/building session begins at 8:30 am and lasts until 1pm with a 20-minute snack pause at 11am. Lunch break is from 1pm to 2:30pm, which includes a rest time before the 3-hour afternoon session begins, from 2:30pm-5:30pm. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays there may be a 60-minute lecture at 2:30pm, followed by construction time. Tuesdays and Thursdays students begin building again right after the rest time. After class in the afternoon there is a 90-minute break before dinner (served from 7pm to 8pm), in which students are encouraged to stretch, do some type of relaxation/movement practice, go swimming, walking and just relax.

There is sometimes a work trade student officially or informally leading yoga and movement practice in the mornings or afternoons (depending on student preference). There will also be 2-3 evenings (once a week) after dinner for showing slides, videos and having Course-related discussions. Other evenings are mostly free and sometimes students offer informal courses in their specialties and passions. Tuesdays are reserved for a weekly Council Circle, where we do a deeper sharing and listening to attend to the inner worlds of our students, staff & Host(s) during this intense workshop experience.

On weekends students are free to explore the area, rest onsite, and even continue building, subject to Instructor approval.  All weekend meals are provided by students who are welcome to use the kitchen.  Host and/or other students can carpool into town for weekend food provisions.

The 28-day Course will offer comprehensive practical learning by building a complete 14m2 curvilinear outdoor kitchen with roof, as 
described in the “Project” section. Those who complete this 28-day Workshop will receive a Certificate of Completion for an Outdoor Cob Kitchen including green reciprocal roof, cob walls, cob oven, rocket stove cooktop, sculpting and plaster.

 

DAILY SCHEDULE

 

The daily schedule (subject to slight modifications due to climate/time of year) will be:

7:30-8:15 Breakfast

8:30-1:00 Class

1:00-2:30 Lunch

2:30-5:30 Class (Lecture on MWF’s)

5:30-7:00 Rest/Yoga

7:00-8:00 Dinner

8:00-9:00 Slides/Videos/Discussion (once a week)

Students are expected to be on time and participate in all sessions and required activities as the goal of building a full construction depends on the whole group working together!

 

COURSE CONTENTS

 

Students will learn some foundation, cob walls, oven, rocket stove, furniture, sculpting, plaster and green reciprocal roof in hands-on building and lectures/theory. In addition to the lectures,
slideshows and videos will be shown to support and enhance their understanding of cob materials, cob building, design, geography, budgeting, and business options.

Our hands-on practice will include:

building partial foundation walls to support oven, rocket stove and benches
analyzing soils and materials
making test bricks
deciding on correct mixture
deciding on best location
making cob w/ partner and solo
building with cob
preparing and inserting shelves
inserting bottle windows, glass and other objects
insert PVC pipe for plumbing in walls (when applicable)*
sculpting
preparing and applying earthen plaster (1 coat)
building reciprocal roof frame
putting on roof sheathing and other elements
installing green roof

In addition to Cob Building practices, the Course material
also includes:

cost analysis
creating a cob business (building/teaching)
assisting, interning and teaching with CruzinCobGlobal

 

REQUIREMENTS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION

 

Students will need to come prepared for demanding physical work from Day 1.

This includes bringing:

Work clothes appropriate for the country and climate we are in
Work boots or other closed-toe shoes (for foundation and roof)
Flip-flops (for cobbing/plaster days)
Rubber dishwashing gloves (for lime mortar)
Work Gloves (for stone work)
Tape Measure
Box Cutter
Wood Hand Saw (cheap)*
Level (2ft)*
Hammer*
Japanese plastering trowel(s) (email:[email protected])
Ear Plugs (roof week)
Safety Glasses
Wood Chisel*
4”-6” Diameter Round Plastic Container Lids (for plastering)
Good Moisturizer
Hat
Sunglasses
Water Bottle
Notebook/Pen/Camera
Carpenter Pencil & Sharpener
Sample of your Soil (optional)

Any other power tools like circular saw, grinder with metal blade, cordless drill, chop saw, extra hammers, trowels, saws, levels…will be very welcome if you have them and are driving in.  Some students fly in wth only carry-on luggage and can’t bring some of these tools.

*These tools will be very helpful to bring if you can, to minimize sharing and waiting, but if you can’t the Host will provide them.

 

**IMPORTANT NOTICE**!!!

 

These workshops are designed for people that want to learn how to build a complete structure from start to finish in a professional manner and amount of time. They are very intensive and, while we make time for yoga, stretching, dancing, music, relaxing….all students are expected to be present and participating in all building and lecture learning hours unless absolutely incapable due to illness or have some other significant/emergency reason. This is because we design the size of the build
 and organize the structure of the workshop in accordance with the number of students and when people are absent, it impacts the whole group and the other students have to work harder and it disturbs the integrity of the group. It takes the whole village to see a build from start to finish!  In addition, Instructors set up building work according to students’ strengths and learning needs.  In short, if you don’t feel that you will be able to be present every day for every session, please re-think your readiness for this workshop.  We attract serious and highly-motivated students so if that’s you, you will be surrounded by others with the same desire to learn and build!

For students wanting a more mellow slow-paced cob experience, along with time for personal exploration and experimentation following their own rhythm, these workshops are not for you! However, you can find a more suitable workshop online with other organizations that offer a
 shorter period, building a garden wall, a bench, a compost toilet or some other smaller scale project.

Students are recommended to read “The Hand-Sculpted House” and “Essential Cob Construction” (see website Resources page) before the workshop begins, and any other books they find or are listed on our Resources page, ideally on plastering and reciprocal roof building.  We ask that you watch the many videos on our our “International Cob Workshop” playlist on Claudine’s YouTube channel, the new educational YouTube series “Building a Mud Home” by Cooper Green, posted by Natural Buildings and created from our North Carolina workshop footage, and the ones posted on CruzinCobGlobal’s website under Gallery, to get an idea of what is expected. Also it is a great idea to watch as many other videos on cob and reciprocal roofs as you can to come mentally prepared. Please bring your book(s).

Students must tend to their own personal needs, drink alot of water, rest when needed and work at a steady pace.  Please bring a watch or use your phone to be prompt and ready for each part of the Course including meals. Please make sure you share your dietary restrictions/allergies with CCG in your registration form. Note that very demanding dietary needs will not be
 able to be met (vegan & non-gluten ok) and those students may be recommended not to participate, unless they are willing to meet their special needs on their own, which will not include kitchen access on weekdays. Please discuss with Claudine at time of desire to register. Also please bring your essential snacks and foods, pillow and whatever you NEED to be comfortable and happy. Feel free to also bring playlists, speaker, slides, videos,
movies and books to share, as well as a sample of your soil to test.

We look forward to opening you to a whole new world of experience, skill, growth and transformation as you bond with your new COB family for life!

 

MEALS & ACCOMMODATIONS

 

We will serve three meals a day from Monday through Friday including the Welcome and Celebration Dinners and Farewell Brunch.  Weekends students will be on their own for food and may use the onsite kitchen.  Meals will be  vegetarian and locally-based as much as possible, including farm produce and eggs! Carnivores & pescatarians & omnivores will, if desired, be offered non-vegetarian options of meals a few times a week and/or supplemented reasonably with canned fish, dried meats, cold cuts. They are also welcome to buy additions to cook on the side.

We will attend to vegan and gluten-free diets if needed, but any other restrictions & allergies that require extensive preparation needs will probably not be able to be honored. And kitchen will only be accessible on weekends for students.

Camping with your own tent and bedding is free and our host Nuno will rent out beds in the house for 140€ for the 4 weeks from Sunday to Sunday. People who arrive early and/or or leave after Sunday please pay the adjusted amount with the nightly rate of 5€.

 

TRANSPORTATION

Students will get to Coruche from Lisbon by bus or carpooling with each other or using BlaBlaCar, a popular European carpooling service.  More information to come on getting to the workshop site…

 

NICOLAS PIMENTEL

Cob Instructor & Master Cobber

I was born and raised in Santiago, Chile, and had a childhood deeply connected to the arts and nature. From an early age, I felt a strong curiosity to travel and learn about other cultures, people, and places. During my university years as an architecture student, I went to study in Porto, Portugal in my final year. There, I first encountered the idea of natural building while attending a conference in Prague. After this brief introduction to theoretical knowledge, I wanted to get hands-on experience.  In 2017, while searching online, I found a CruzinCobGlobal workshop taught by Claudine in the Azores Islands, and that was the beginning of this amazing journey of fascination with and passion for Earthen Building, as well as a great, long friendship with Claudine. After spending a long time on the islands, I returned to Chile to receive my degree in architecture. I also went to Colorado to assist in a CCG workshop lead by Claudine, and then assisted & co-taught 2 CCG workshops in Chile.

 

I also learned other natural building techniques at TIBÁ in Brazil, and continued working independently in Chile, where I built my first light straw clay house in southern Chile.  This is when I eventually settled in the northern Patagonian mountain town of Pucón, where I co-founded my architecture studio, PIWA.  My focus is designing homes in rural areas, integrating bioconstruction and bioarchitecture techniques. Parallel to this, I returned to the Azores Islands to teach a light clay straw workshop on Claudine’s land in 2021 and a Complete Full Build Workshop in 2023.

My motivation to keep learning has never waned, and this drive took me to Marrakesh to learn Tadelakt from ancient masters. I also constantly return to books to learn more about various techniques and experiment with them.  In 2024, I began teaching online workshops as well as in-person workshops on earthen plasters in southern Portugal and southern Chile.

Currently, I work as an architect in my own studio, mainly designing in southern Chile. I am also co-founder of a conservation project called Jungla Peumayen, located in the central region’s mountains, where we focus on the conservation of flora and fauna, conducting rewilding efforts by reinserting wild animals, among other activities. I also co-founded Kalina, a creative space in nature located in northern Patagonia, where I reside and am currently building my second light straw clay home.

I love teaching these techniques and learning from other students. I believe every interaction is an opportunity for learning, and bringing earthen building to new environments and professionalizing it is a crucial task in contributing to this paradigm shift. The earth has built me and I am constantly growing and learning from it!

 

CHRISTIAN EDER

Cob Instructor

Hello I am Christian and I grew up in Südtirol, a German-speaking area in the Alps in Northern Italy, surrounded by mountains and beautiful woods and lakes. From a young age nature and sustainability were part of my values, and that is why this particular style of building makes a lot of sense to me.

After finishing high school with a focus on economics, I worked in a trading company for some time, which didn’t satisfy me much. So I decided to do a computer science training, after which I worked as a web developer, but then decided to go traveling around the world for some years, and worked as a shepherd, industrial climber, fruit picker and waiter.  I travelled following my passions like climbing, hiking, nature, and Eastern philosophy, specifically meditation and yoga in India.  I love to get to know people from around the world, their cultures and their food. In essence I love the diversity of our planet and getting to know it first hand.  On the way, I have learned many languages: German and Italian at home, then English, Spanish, and some French during my studies and life, and am currently learning Portuguese.

After settling in Italy again, I worked as a landscape gardener, where I was able to gain experience that helped spark my interest in the Cob building path.  When I saw my first Cob Building in California a few years ago, Natural Building got my attention and Cob, especially, felt like the path I wanted to dedicate myself to. Studying by myself with books and gaining some basic knowledge, I felt like going deeper into this new/old field. That’s when I decided to sign up for my first Complete Cob Building Workshop taught by CruzinCobGlobal Instructor Nicolas Pimentel on the beautiful island of São Miguel in the Azores, who I will now co-teach with in Portugal.

I immediately felt drawn to building naturally with no huge impact on Nature.  I am fascinated with building, not only the construction side itself, but the community aspect as well. To create something with like-minded people feels right and is fulfilling and fun.  I also attended a bench and oven workshop with Nicolas Pimentel and went on to build a compost toilet as a return student at Quinta da Vida Beleza, Claudine’s Ecovillage Farm in the Azores.

Since then I have been practicing with more projects. Last winter, my friend Zoe, who I also met at a CCG workshop, and I taught and built with local people in Zanzibar at a Volunteer project in which we built an outdoor classroom. My mission is to continue on this path, by learning, building and passing on my knowledge. 

I wrapped up my first experience as Co-Instructor with my friend Tom Van Well in Puerto Rico in January and February 2025, then went on to assist Nico in Costa Rica and will meet you all this Fall in Portugal to teach what I love.

You too will fall in love with this beautiful world of Natural Building.

 

 

REGISTRATION & PAYMENT

 

Very Early Bird Rate: 1800€, paid in full by April 14th, 2025

Early Bird Rate: 1900€, paid in full by June 14th, 2025

Standard Rate: 2000€, paid in full by August 14th, 2025

We are offering 4 work trade positions which give you a 250€ discount for working one hour each weekday from 6:30am to 7:30am either on the site prepping materials and other work as guided by the Instructors or preparing & putting away breakfast. Two persons for each service.  These are the first options to go. Depending on when you pay in full, the discount is taken off the appropriate amount.

Payment in USD (convert to current exchange rate) can be made using Zelle, Paypal and  Venmo to [email protected]. Europeans and other international students can pay in Euros using the Wise app/website using same email.  You can also use this link for a free transfer up to 500€:  https://wise.com/invite/ihpc/claudined

Please contact [email protected] or Whatsapp +1(831) 212-7225 to register and ask any questions.

To hold your spot (there are 12 for new students and 3 for returning students), you can make a 50% deposit.  The balance owed depends on the date of payment in full. Final payment deadline is September 14th, 2025.

 

CANCELLATION POLICY

 

Students who have paid and cancel by June 14th, 2025 can get a full refund minus a 5% administrative/inconvenience fee on the amount they have paid.

Students who have paid and cancel by July 14th, 2025 will receive a credit for a future workshop within two years minus a 10% administrative/inconvenience fee.

Students who have paid and cancel after July 12th, 2025 will not receive a refund or credit unless they have proof of an emergency situation or other reason out of their control, in which case they will receive a credit for two years minus the 10% admin fee.

SEE YOU IN THE MUUUUUUD!

 

 

Location: Sitio do Valverde