Past Events

a simple foundation to hold the posts

reciprocating roof holding itself up

 Raising the Roundhouse,  w/Huckleberry August 6th 
We had a great time raising the simple, beautiful easy to understand frame and roof.   Several of the participants are inspired to build one themselves...  this basic framework can be applied to build a house, greenhouse, outdoor kitchen, gymnasium, etc.      see homeearth.tumblr.com/  for more pictures/info of  Huckleberry's work..

Hanging from the rafters!

A spruce wall panel sample

the roof from below

TOCA meeting, June 21st: "Transition the Neighborhood, Olympia"
People jumped at the chance to stand next to each other during an "I need/I have" icebreaker, to sit closely, lean in, laugh, and encourage each other's creativitvity, joviality, and love for their communities through simple neighborhood exploration games.

"I'm amazed to find that almost all of my needs can be meet within my immediate community, all it takes is to talk with my neighbors" a participant reflected on the community mapping exercise.

Intersection Repair...  In a creative environment free of the restraints of what is 'possible' within current codes and fiscal conditions- groups sculpted 'intersection repairs' out of clay and found objects,  modifying our current common template of a neighborhood intersection to make it conducive to gathering, producing onsite food and resources, sharing of skills, ideas and tools; overall, being a beautiful living representation of who the neighbors are..

   Some of the improvements included a giant hammock that fit about 8 people over the (now pedestrain/bicycle only) road,  a huge arching grape trellis corner to corner,  a book cart/exchange 'knowledge commons',  a re-workable co-sculpture in the center,  a poem post,  a bird bath and bee hives with a solar panel roof, and a giant BUBBLE wand, 

The Northwest Ecobuilders Guild hosted Olympia Village Building Convergence-a Design Charette with great success. (Thursday, June 16th, 6-9 @ Urban Onion)

  Groups presented their projects for this years Olympia VBC, then we developed them in small groups, and shared our expanded and /or refined plans. 
      The next day, Mark Lakeman, community architect and activist of Portland, joined a tour of VBC sites

Our exciting projects include a building an community welcoming gate into the new fertile guild commons downtown, repair of their pizza oven roof, and creation of a 'chicken viewing bench'; & improvements to the pocket park in west oly, including beautiful benches of recycled materials.

Anyone have any pictures of this event to share?  Email them to olyvbc@gmail and I can post them.

OLY VBC 2011 Projects / Wishlist

We are looking for a volunteer coordinator,  child care coordinators during the event;  and plenty of volunteers to participate in the exciting work parties!   

MATERIALS WISH LIST FOR SPECIFIC PROJECTS

Community Welcoming Gate

PATIO-  Urbanite (broken concrete) 3-4'' consistent thickness, enough to cover about 150 ft2.
BENCH- Need 3 cedar or tight-grain fir bench slabs approx 30"x 70" and base mounting materials (TBD)
 PIER BLOCKS 4x4s  w/ metal brackets
MANDALA SUPPLIES  Portland Cement, Masonry Lime and Iron Oxide


Cob Oven Living Roof 
STRUCTURAL-   6x6 posts, 2x6, 2x8, 2x10, 2x12, 3x6;  concrete, rebar, forms
SEDUM PLANTS -  Succulents for the living roof..
CUSTOM COUNTERTOP-  Custom-made hardwood or cement for pizza cooking zone

Chicken Tractor Lounge
Services of a sculptor.  work with metal parts to create 'tractor lounge'
ANTIQUE TRACTOR PARTS-individual metal seats, tractor tires, other old parts which can be incorporated into the whimsical sculpture/bench/climbing play area...

Greywater Recycling System
PLUMBER-  To install a 3-way valve, reroute pipes under bathtub, create new outfall to exterior from bathtub, bath sink and basement laundry
OLD BATHTUBS and SURGE BARREL  3 old iron/ceramic bathtubs which can be filled with baffels (forces water to flow through) constructed wetland.  55-gal.  Surge barrel for beginning of system...
WETLAND PLANTS- to grow in bathtubs