Fee Structure

The workshop fee is Rs. 48,000/-. To register you have to pay Rs.22,000/- and the remaining Rs. 26,000/- fee is to be paid on the workshop day (in cash only).

If you are coming for the workshop with your family, children between 10-16 years will be charged Rs. 15,000/- and children below 10 years can attend the workshop without any fee with their parents. The fee for each additional family member is Rs. 30,000/-. Please be aware that access to the online course is granted to a single participant only. Any additional family members should also pay 50% of their fee in advance as a registration deposit.

If individuals who have previously purchased the online course wish to partake in the hands-on workshop, they may do so by paying a fee of Rs. 30,000/- to secure a spot. Please note that there are only 5 available seats for additional participants, and they will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. This fee includes lunch & refreshments during workshop days and excludes accommodation & food & travel expenses.

Note: Our policy generally accommodates seats for husbands, wives, and children as family members. We offer a total of 15 full tickets, along with 5 seats for family members.

Content

10-Day Hands-On Workshop Schedule:

Day 1: Introduction to Thannal, Participants introduction, Natural Building Basics (Theory), Material Library, Tools and Natural Building Glossary (Theory), Mud Properties, How to start with procurement of soil (Theory), Hands-On Mud Sampling (Hands-on), Cob Sampling (Hands-on).

Day 2: Introduction to Wall Systems (Theory), Cob Mixing, Lime, Lime cycle, types of lime, slaking and storing lime, usage and testing (Theory), Mortar Sampling (Prototype), and Foundation Basics (Theory and Hands-on).

Day 3: Bamboo and wood Knowledge (Theory), Cob mixing and Cob Wall Construction (Hands-on), Crafting Niches (Hands-on), and Window Frames(Hands-on).

Day 4: Wattle and Daub Introduction (Theory), Hands-On Framing (Hands-on), Weaving, Daubing (Hands-on) and Sculpting (Hands-on)

Day 5: Adobe Basics (Theory), Types of Bonds in masonry (Prototype and Hands-on), Adobe Brick Making (Hands-on), and Earthbag Preparation (Hands-on), CSEB Making (Hands-on) Termite mix application in flooring (Hands-on) Flooring base layer (Hands-on).

Day 6: Campus Tour and Site Visit.

Day 7: Holiday.

Day 8: Theory to Natural Finishes (Theory), Plaster Techniques (Hands-on), Sampling (Hands-on), and Different types of natural Roofing Techniques (Theory), Extraction of clay for clay paints (Prototype)

Day 9: Adobe Wall Construction (Prototype), Plaster Mix Preparation (Hands-on), and Testing Samples (Hands-on), Mud from participants testing (Hands-on)

Day 10: Plaster Application (Hand-on), Earthbag Wall Construction (Prototype), and Roofing Application – Flat mud roof and Limecrete roof (Prototype and Hands-on)

Day 11: Presentation on Natural Building Methods (Theory), Doubt-Clearing session, House plan of participants discission (Theory), Final Coats Application for plasters and Flooring (Prototype and Hands-on), Testing plaster samples (Hand-on), Group Photo

Total Hands-On Sessions: 25 | Total Theory Sessions: 15 | Total Prototype Sessions: 8

Content
Self-Paced Online Course Content

Part 1: Essential Materials of Natural Building – Introduction to Natural Building, Mud, Bamboo, Lime, Surkhi, Admixtures – 1

Part 2: Natural roofing techniques – Introduction to Roofing Techniques, Flat Mud Roof, Madras Terrace Roof, Limecrete Roof, Khiru Roof, Adobe Roof, Pot Tile Roof / Country tile roof, Sandwich Roof using Terracotta Tile

Part 3: Wall Systems & Foundation – Foundation, plinth and plinth beam, Different Wall systems, Wet mixes, Cob, Wattle and Daub, Adobe, Dry mixes, Earthbag, CSMB, Openings, Masonry and mixes”

Part 4: Natural Finishes & Flooring

Click here to learn more about the Index of Natural Building Virtual Library.

Total Duration: About  20 hours | Learn at your own pace | Validity: Lifetime

Workshop Location:
Thannal campus, Tiruvannamalai, Tamilnadu

Food:
The fee covers lunch and refreshments exclusively during the workshop days. However, it does not include accommodation, travel expenses, or any costs associated with site visits.

Travel:
Nearest Railway Stations: Tiruvannamalai, Katpadi and Villupuram.
Nearest Airport: Chennai, Bangalore.

Accommodation & Transportation:

Accommodation is not available within the Thannal Campus. Therefore, participants are required to find and arrange their own guest house. We will provide a list of nearby places to stay. Please note that the accommodation cost is not included in the course fee. Additionally, participants are responsible for organizing their daily commute to the campus, which is located 6 km from Ramana Ashram, Tiruvannamalai, during the workshop days. Many guest houses in the area offer bicycles or scooters for rent at nominal rates, which can facilitate transportation. Alternatively, participants can consider sharing vehicles with other participants.

Kindly read the Cancellation Policy:

We understand that circumstances may arise when you can’t attend our hands-on workshop after booking a seat. However, kindly note that we have limited seats available and finding a replacement on short notice may be difficult.

The advance payment is non-refundable, but in return, you will receive access to the Part 1-4 Complete Companion of the Natural Building Online Course.

If you wish to cancel your booking, kindly inform the Thannal team via email at least 20 days prior to the workshop. In such a case, we will provide you with the opportunity to attend the next 10-day workshop without any penalties (so be sure to attend our next 10-day workshop). It is important to note that seat availability follows a first-come, first-served basis, and only 5 seats are allocated for cancellations. If all 5 seats have been booked, you will have a chance to participate in the subsequent workshop.

For cancellations made within 20 days of the workshop, an additional fee of 4,500 INR per person will be charged. As a result, the total amount due will be 19,500 INR (15,000 INR + 4,500 INR). If family members are registered with you, this fee may vary.  In these instances, you have the option to attend the next 10-day workshop. However, it’s important to note that this opportunity is limited to the immediately following 10-day workshop and cannot be carried over to future sessions.

Please be aware that we do not offer refunds for cancellations. Instead, we present these two options to accommodate your needs. We sincerely appreciate your cooperation and thank you for choosing Thannal for your natural building education.

Registration:

To book the tickets write to us thannalroots<@>gmail.com. The further step-by-step process and payment details shall be informed to you via mail. Kindly note that entry to the workshop is only possible through email; further details will be provided via email.

Prepare for the day:
Please see the link for details of things to carry, the nearest airport, hotels, and other matters of concern- Prepare for the workshop