More than 150 school children will get to experience cottage
construction pioneer-style with a series of mudbrick-making workshops at
Vallance Cottage Reserve in Alexandra this month.
With the 30th anniversary of Vallance Cottage being
saved from demolition fast approaching, what better way to celebrate the
historic building’s survival with an appreciation of how it was made, Central
Otago District Council Property and
Facilities Officer Bex Snape said.
“This will be a truly hands-on experience,” Ms Snape said, also a
member of the Vallance Cottage Working Group. “We’ll be showing young people
what goes into making a mudbrick, using similar materials and methods to Scottish
gold miner William Vallance when he built his cottage in 1896. It could get
messy – we’d strongly suggest wearing an old shirt! There could be some mayhem,
but it is guaranteed to be loads of fun, and educational as well.”
Central Otago REAP Enviroschools
Facilitator Lucy Francke is thrilled to have so many
children involved.
“Enviroschools is a holistic action-learning process, engaging
young people in exploring their environment and participating in the life and
development of their place. Learning in and about Vallance Cottage and earth
building techniques is an engaging, hands-on experience for our tamariki to
connect to our history and take action for their future.”
The
working group has organised moulds in a few different sizes for the children to
make mudbricks during the week of 18 March leading up to the Otago Anniversary
Weekend, and for the public open day on Sunday 24 March, 10am to 2pm.
The
children are encouraged to bring a shoe box so they can take their mud brick
back to school to dry.
“They
will be split into groups, with different activities and should be a fantastic
experience with great interaction with just eight to nine children per group,”
Ms Snape said.
The
working group first got the idea because of the ongoing maintenance that needs
to be done to future-proof the cottage.
“It’s
mostly made of the original mudbrick, and while it is a durable building
material, it is vulnerable to certain climatic conditions, such as excessive
damp or the presence of water. It is good to give children and the public an
appreciation of what goes into conserving this type of building, and who knows,
we may be breeding a whole generation of mudbrick makers who want to be
involved in Vallance Cottage’s future.”
The Earth Building Association of
New Zealand (EBANZ) is pleased to support the project in collaboration with
Enviroschools, in bringing the history of earthbuilding alive to both local
schoolchildren and professionals in these workshops.
"Earthen building techniques
have been used successfully for thousands of years and they are even more
relevant today as we strive for a zero-carbon construction industry,” EBANZ
Chairperson Delia Bellaby said.
“These simple materials also
perform really well from a building science perspective. At a purely
human level, they create healthy, beautiful buildings that people thrive
in."
