Our guest today is Lydia Doleman, an accomplished natural builder and educator as well as the founder of “flying hammer,” a natural building company based in southern oregon. The company focuses on pushing the boundaries of affordable and energy efficient housing, training people and communities in various building skills, and infusing the dreary urban fabric with structures that reflect beauty, sustainability and community.

Lydia is also the author of “Light Straw Clay,” one of the volumes in the sustainable building essentials series which will be the focus of this interview.

In this episode we go in depth about the world of light straw clay and it's wide range of applications and the nuts and bolts of the building technique. We talk about permanent and temporary form work, larsen trusses and split stud framing, different options of plastering and sheathing the walls, and the advantages and challenges of building with clay straw.

I would highly recommend this interview for anyone looking to build a hybrid structure or to renovate an existing conventional building because of how easy it is to use these techniques in traditional homes.

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Resources:

theflyinghammer.com