The Roundhouse Build Series – Six Days, One Living Project
These six days are part of a single, unfolding build: the completion of our reciprocal-roof log cabin roundhouse within the wider SEED project.
You’ll arrive, be welcomed into the rhythm of the day, starting with a gentle Qi Gong practice, Breath Work & Orientation followed by time to connect with other participants & then contributing meaningfully to whatever stage the build is in.
Each day stands alone and can be booked individually.
That said, the real depth comes from following the whole arc.
Across the six days, this work moves through the different Traditional Chinese Elements
— Earth, Air, Fire Water, Wood and Metal
You will mirror the natural stages of creating shelter: preparing the ground, enclosing warmth, inviting light and heat, laying floors, and finally catching and guiding water.
The project deepens not just practically, but relationally.
You start to understand the land, the structure, the materials, and the people alongside you.
Coming to one day gives you a snapshot.
Coming to several days gives you continuity.
Coming to the full series gives you a lived understanding of low-impact building, land-based collaboration, and what it really takes to make a place by hand.
How the Days Work
Each day follows the same steady rhythm:
arriving together,
working with focus,
eating well,
closing intentionally.
We begin with a short welcome circle and gentle qi gong, helping bodies arrive, joints warm, and attention settle before practical work begins. This supports safe movement, reduces strain, and sets a collaborative tone for the day.
Food is an important part of the work.
Lunch is shared and nourishing, using local, organic and foraged ingredients wherever possible.
This may include wild foods from the land, seasonal vegetables, and ethically sourced low-GI wild venison, with nothing ultra-processed. We eat together, take time, and treat food as part of the project — drawing energy from the land, strengthening connection to place, and supporting one another to work well.
You don’t need building experience.
Tasks are shared, adapted, and explained as we go.
Teaching happens through doing, not classroom-style instruction.
Working with the Season & the Weather
These build days take place outdoors, in the season we are in.
The roundhouse has covered space, and there are sheltered areas to work in, but part of the value of these days is being outside — moving, breathing, and working with the land as it actually is.
Weather is treated as information, not an inconvenience. Cold, damp, wind and sun all shape how we work, rest, eat and pace ourselves. Being out at this time of year supports resilience, circulation, mood and connection to seasonal rhythms in a way that indoor spaces simply don’t.
Please come dressed for all weathers, with good layers, waterproofs, sturdy footwear, and spare clothes if needed. We move steadily, take breaks, and warm up together — including through qi gong, hot drinks and shared meals.
There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing — and we’ll help create the conditions for the days to feel supportive, grounded and human rather than heroic.
Day 1 – Grounding the Project
Sunday 11th January 2026
🌎 Earth & 🪵 Wood
This day is about arriving — on the land and with each other.
We begin with a tour of the site and an introduction to the roundhouse, the wider SEED project, and the intentions behind the build.
The practical work focuses on preparing the ground: woodchipping paths to and around the roundhouse, digging clay for cob, and beginning earthworks for the pond and future natural swimming area.
Skills & learning
Reading land, slope, soil and drainage
Understanding why groundwork matters in long-term builds
Clay identification and preparation for cob
Path-making and access planning
Working effectively as a team on physical tasks
Building shared awareness and communication from day one
This day sets the tone for everything that follows.
A day of craft, community and connection.
Based at The Rewild Community Allotment, Noxon Farm, Bream, Forest of Dean.
1 place including lunch & refreshments.
Arrive from 9.30am for 10am Start - 4.30pm
Day 2 – Structure, Warmth & Containment
Sunday 18th January 2026
🪵 Wood & 🌎 Earth
This day focuses on enclosing the space and understanding how natural buildings stay warm, dry and breathable.
We’ll be insulating the inside of the roof using sheep’s wool and reclaimed or recycled materials, followed by internal cladding with waney-edge boards. You’ll work with hand tools, measure and fit materials, and see how small decisions affect comfort and longevity.
Skills & learning
Safe and confident tool use
Natural insulation types and their properties
Breathability, moisture movement and condensation
How warmth is held in a building without sealing it
Working with irregular, reclaimed materials
Attention to detail and finishing as structural care
A day of craft, community and connection.
Based at The Rewild Community Allotment, Noxon Farm, Bream, Forest of Dean.
1 place including lunch & refreshments.
Arrive from 9.30am for 10am Start - 4.30pm
Day 3 – Light, Sun & Orientation
Sunday 1st February
🔥 Fire
Fire here is about energy — light, warmth, and direction.
We’ll be steadying walls, building window frames, cutting openings, and fitting reclaimed window units. Alongside the practical work, we explore how buildings relate to the sun across the day and the seasons, and how thoughtful placement affects heat, light, and use of space.
Skills & learning
Measuring, marking and cutting structural openings
Building and fitting window frames
Working accurately with reclaimed units
Understanding solar gain and seasonal light
Aspect, orientation and internal layout planning
Designing storage and living space around heat sources
This is a key day for learning how buildings can work with natural forces rather than against them.
A day of craft, community and connection.
Based at The Rewild Community Allotment, Noxon Farm, Bream, Forest of Dean.
1 place including lunch & refreshments.
Arrive from 9.30am for 10am Start - 4.30pm
Day 4 – Flooring, Experiment & Choice
Sunday 15th February 2026
🌎 Earth
This day is about floors — and about accepting that natural building is often experimental, adaptive and evolving.
We’ll look at different flooring approaches, discussing durability, maintenance and repairability, with examples from other projects. Practical work includes laying a gravel and stone base, positioning wooden discs, and beginning cob infill.
Skills & learning
Preparing stable sub-floors
Understanding load, compression and moisture
Mixing and working with cob
Making design choices with imperfect information
Balancing aesthetics, practicality and longevity
Working patiently with repetitive, grounding tasks
It’s hands-on, muddy, and quietly philosophical.
A day of craft, community and connection.
Based at The Rewild Community Allotment, Noxon Farm, Bream, Forest of Dean.
1 place including lunch & refreshments.
Arrive from 9.30am for 10am Start - 4.30pm
Day 5 – Completion and the Hearth
Sunday 22nd February 2026
🔥 Fire & 🌎 Earth
We continue and complete the cob flooring and install the wood burner — the heart of the roundhouse.
This day often carries a strong sense of containment and arrival. The focus is on safe installation, clearances, and understanding how heat moves through a space.
Skills & learning
Completing and finishing earthen floors
Wood burner installation basics
Heat flow, ventilation and safety considerations
The hearth as a functional and social centre
Responsibility and stewardship of shared structures
This is where the building begins to feel alive.
A day of craft, community and connection.
Based at The Rewild Community Allotment, Noxon Farm, Bream, Forest of Dean.
1 place including lunch & refreshments.
Arrive from 9.30am for 10am Start - 4.30pm
Day 6 – Water Flow, Catchment & Future Cycles
Sunday 1st March
(Imbolc)
💦 Water
The final day turns attention to water — how it moves through land and how we choose to guide it.
We’ll be installing guttering, shaping channels to lead water to the pond, and continuing earthworks begun on Day 1. The emphasis is on water literacy and long-term thinking.
Skills & learning
Rainwater catchment and storage
Reading water flow in the landscape
Using gravity rather than force
Channel shaping and erosion awareness
Designing systems that support land regeneration
Seeing projects as ongoing cycles rather than finished objects
It’s a fitting closing day — outward-moving, future-facing, and rooted in resilience.
A day of craft, community and connection.
Based at The Rewild Community Allotment, Noxon Farm, Bream, Forest of Dean.
1 place including lunch & refreshments.
Arrive from 9.30am for 10am Start - 4.30pm