George Jones Memorial Farm Greenhouse
Oberlin, Ohio
HarvestBuild designed the straw-bale end walls for this hoop greenhouse at the site of an organic farm and wetland restoration project. The structure features our baling-on-the-edge straw-bale wall system, cob sculptural elements, and earth and lime plasters. HarvestBuild also led a weekend workshop for the Cleveland Green Building Coalition as part of the construction process.
Testimonial
"Having recently formed an education center to promote sustainability in Oberlin, we wanted to develop workshops to teach a broader audience about alternative methods of farming, land-use, and construction. We turned to Mark Hoberecht to develop a design for two straw-bale end walls for a hoop greenhouse on a demonstration organic farm. Mark led a three-day workshop for 25 participants from a three-state area to help with the construction. He presented information effectively, and did a masterful job coordinating activities during a weekend that turned out to be both productive and fun. Mark continued to work with Oberlin College students to finish the straw-bale walls following the workshop."
"Mark can be relied upon to see a project through from start to finish, balancing a remarkable knowledge of detail with an ability to explain basic techniques to newcomers. Working with him has greatly increased our ability to utilize the farm as an educational demonstration, both in terms of the actual building, as well as finding an economic opportunity for farmers to utilize baled wheat straw as a building material."