[ENGLISH version] 2025: Canelo and the clay-fiber continuum

Earth (in American English rather: clay) is the building material of the world. It is available almost everywhere. It is easy to work with. Earth is also very versatile: depending on what we add to the earth, different material properties and areas of application result. It is a coherent whole, a continuum.

In this course with Athena Steen, discover the versatile world of earth and fiber combinations - from adobe to straw clay blocks to high-fiber mortar - at one of the power spots of sustainable building par excellence: Canelo in Arizona, the base of the Steen family. Discover how integrating fibers into adobe opens up a wide range of building possibilities.

What awaits you on the way to Canelo

The course is divided into two parts. In the first, we will explore the southwest of the USA from Santa Fe (New Mexico). The focus will be on adobe construction, but the incredible beauty of nature will not be neglected.

Accompanying us on this journey will be Athena Steen, who comes from a family of well-known Native American potters, sculptors and artists and grew up in northern New Mexico. Athena has been building with earth and adobe from an early age, designing rooms and walls and playing with texture, color and line to create beautiful patterns and designs that are true to the original culture.

After arriving at the hotel in Santa Fe, we will meet on the evening of the day of arrival for a relaxed get-together. The next day, Santa Fe, with its rich history and culture and its fabulous beauty, is on the program.

On the third day, we'll head north to visit the largest adobe building in the USA, see a place beloved by Georgia O'Keeffe that is stunning in its natural beauty and stop by the earth ships of Taos.

On the fourth day, we set off early for the southwest, will (hopefully) see lots of hot air balloons and spend the night in a small, rather quaint New Mexico town where you can admire works of Athena.

On the fifth day, we will continue to Canelo, Arizona, our course location and the place where the Steen family works. Here, too, we will pay tribute to the beauty of nature and architecture along the way.

As is so often the case, the journey is the reward. A unique opportunity to get to know the beauty and history of the Southwest of the USA in an unusual setting with Athena, who knows the area inside out, and to learn a lot about building with earth on site.

On day 6, we start the 5-day course in Canelo described in more detail below. Athena and her family are already looking forward to sharing their skills with us!

On the eleventh and final day, the course ends with breakfast. We are in the process of organizing the transfer to the nearest airport in Tucson, AZ.

What you can expect from the course in Canelo

Learn how to meet specific building requirements, whether to improve insulation, for flexibility and lightness of construction or for weather resistance, by knowing when to add which, how and how much fiber.

With these mixtures we will produce a range of sun-dried adobe blocks. We'll also be making adobe, the adobe bricks that were introduced to the southwestern United States by the Spanish in the late 1600s and became a cornerstone of architecture there. And we will make more innovative, lightweight blocks with a high fiber content. These sun-dried blocks can
be used alone or in combination with other natural building systems. The Canelo project has been working and experimenting with these sun-dried earth blocks for many years, both locally and in Mexico.

You will not only learn how to use and build with these adobe blocks. You will also learn how to cover, shape and protect them with the special straw-based Canelo earth base plaster.

You will also understand how to easily apply this plaster to create thick, monolithic layers that will not peel and provide protection against wear and tear and rain resistance, while offering great malleability and limitless creativity.

• Exploring combinations of earth and fibers
• Gain practical experience in making and building with earth blocks
• Try out traditional and innovative techniques
• Mixing and using high-fiber earth molded plaster

Schedule of the course

Working day No. 1

• Earth and fiber basics: Introduction to the principles of earth and fiber mixtures.
• Practical mixing: Experiment with making different earth mixes, both with and without fibers for blocks.
• Plaster preparation: Mixing primer/sculpture plaster.
• Mold making: Learn how to make molds for your blocks.
• Block making: Make an assortment of earth blocks or bricks.

Working day No. 2

• Building with blocks: stacking and assembling adobes and various straw clay blocks.
• Inspection of the work results and comparison with buildings on the site.

Working day No. 3

• Finalizing the earth block and clay straw block walls
• Application of the plaster: Application of the prepared high-fiber plaster mixture
• Rough shaping of the base plaster layer for the subsequent design

Working day No. 4

• Application of the intermediate plaster
• Application of colored finishing plaster
• Basic decorative work (embossing technique, stenciling, plaster cutting, sgraffito)
• Tour to the nature reserve: hike and visit to the nearby Nature Conservancy Building, a typical example of traditional adobe architecture in Arizona

Working day No. 5

• Sculpting and detail work: completion of the plaster work and detail design.
• Decorative work (embossing technique, stencilling, plaster cutting, sgraffito)
• Preparation and application of earth paint for final decoration

The schedule can be understood as a rough overview, which can be adapted according to the circumstances and requirements.

The course is aimed at craftspeople and interested amateurs who are interested in designing with ecological building materials and high-quality wall finishing techniques.

Athena Steen teaches in English, a translation into German is offered. Basic knowledge of technical terms in English is helpful. We recommend studying the list of technical terms with translations such as on the DV Lehms website beforehand.

To get an impression of how Athena Steen works, we recommend you take a look at the homepage of the canelo project and this movie about it.

Level: 2 according to DQR (German Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning)

Lecturer: Athena Steen, earth builder, Arizona (USA)

Course duration: 35 hours

Course size: 12 people

Course costs: € 3475 (not taxable, as third country)
Early bird discount until July 1, 2025.

Registration deadline: Sept 2nd, 2025

Accommodation: Accommodation is included in the price. There are various options.

For Germany: Educational leave (Bildungsurlaub): The course is recognized as educational leave in Berlin and has been applied for in Brandenburg. For other federal states, please contact us. For further funding opportunities, please visit the "Förderungen" section at the top of our website navigation.