ZinCo Supports Education
in Sustainable Building

We are pleased to announce the completion of the summer 2007 Design/Build project at the Yestermorrow school in Warren, VT. For this project, a lesson in sustainable building practices, ZinCo USA was the proud contributor of green roof materials, including our Protection Mat SSM45, Floradrain® FD40, Filter Sheet SF, and Zincoblend I as the growing media for this 18° (4/12) pitched roof.

Natural Building Program Creates a Gem

Perched on a hillside, overlooking the Mad River and Warren Village's covered bridge, sits a new landmark structure. And like a magnet it is drawing passers-by in a constant stream.

The attraction is the culmination of Yestermorrow's Natural Building Certificate program, a series of ten courses and workshops running between mid-May and August 10. During that time, a select group of eight enrollees who signed on for the duration, along with approximately 40 additional students who participated in individual classes, created a true work of art utilizing almost exclusively natural, local materials.

Under the tutelage of lead instructor Tim Rieth and eight supporting instructors, the students designed and then built by hand the entire structure from the ground up. The courses included stone foundation work, scribe timberframing, wall building with strawbales, cob, and other natural materials, rocket stove design, green roof installation, earthen floor construction, plastering with clay and lime plasters, and topcoating with natural paints.

The structure, dubbed the "Garden Folly" by client Linda Lloyd, embodies the design creativity, imagination, sweat and labor of these many students and instructors who brought together stone, wood, earth, and straw to create a beautiful, whimsical work of architecture.

"The Folly project has been an amazing experience with a dedicated crew," says Lloyd. "They took real ownership of the building and created a structure with feeling and precision work and craftsmanship that is a wonderful addition to my property and to the Town of Warren. The Yestermorrow Community should consider this their structure and feel free to visit and enjoy our Folly."

The Yestermorrow Design/Build School

Mission
Yestermorrow Design/Build School inspires people to create a better, more sustainable world by providing hands-on education that integrates design and craft as a creative, interactive process.

Philosophy
Yestermorrow’s courses are specifically designed to demystify the designing and building processes using hands-on, experiential learning to teach students the art and wisdom of good design and the skill and savvy of enduring craftsmanship as a single, integrated process.

This creative process offers students unique insight into the oftentimes disparate worlds of the architect and the builder. Architects are routinely trained without any building experience that might inform their designs, and builders are trained to execute without a sense of the overarching purpose or design of the project.

Combining design and building offers numerous advantages and promotes the creation of intentional and inspired buildings and communities that enhance our world. From the professional design/builder to the do-it-yourself design/build homeowner, every designer should know how to build and every builder should know how to design. This philosophy sets Yestermorrow apart from other educational institutions.