Sustainable Building Materials and Technology
At Endeavour, we thrive on working with the most promising and innovative sustainable building materials and technology. From simple natural materials to effective high-tech mechanical systems, our exploration of what’s available, possible, practical and affordable is our raisons d’être.
On this page, you’ll find links to blogs we’ve posted on a wide range of sustainable materials and techniques. Scroll through and explore, or use the search function to find the subject of your interest…
Sustainable Building Essentials from Endeavour and New Society Publishers
By Chris Magwood
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April 12, 2016
The Endeavour Centre is partnering with New Society Publishers to bring natural building enthusiasts a new series of books intended...
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Light clay straw insulation
By Chris Magwood
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April 12, 2016
On April 10, a workshop at Endeavour led participants through the theory and practice of making wall insulation from light...
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Hempcrete developments
By Chris Magwood
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April 12, 2016
On April 9, a workshop at Endeavour brought participants together to explore hempcrete insulation materials. The workshop looked at well-used...
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Repairing Clay Plaster (with toilet paper?…)
By Chris Magwood
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November 13, 2015
Questions concerning the durability of clay plaster - especially as an exterior plaster, and even more especially in cold and...
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What Makes a Building Product “Green”?
By Chris Magwood
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September 23, 2015
The Green Glut The past 10 years have seen an explosion of building products being marketed to designers and builders...
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Product Review: Allback Linseed Stain Wax
By Chris Magwood
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July 30, 2015
At Endeavour, we are kind of obsessed with finding good-quality, non-toxic finishes for common household surfaces. Many homes have a...
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Why We Love Earthen Floors
By Chris Magwood
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July 30, 2015
Take one step - especially with bare feet - on an earthen floor and chances are you will be sold...
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All About Natural Paint
By Chris Magwood
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May 18, 2015
There is no easier or better place to shift away from toxic petrochemicals and move to using natural, non-toxic options...
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A PassiveHouse Heating System
By Chris Magwood
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March 15, 2015
Passive House is a building certification program that focuses on dramatically improving the energy efficiency of new and renovated buildings....
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Thatch roof update
By Chris Magwood
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March 5, 2015
In 2009, we undertook the first permitted thatch roof in Ontario as part of the Camp Kawartha Environment Centre on...
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Building bottle wall features
By Chris Magwood
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December 10, 2014
Many natural buildings feature bottles incorporated into walls. Bottle walls add colourful light and whimsy to a wall and open...
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Rocket mass heaters with Andrew Brunning
By Chris Magwood
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December 4, 2014
I have lived almost my entire life in homes that have been heated with wood in one way or another....
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How to build with earthbag
By Chris Magwood
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December 4, 2014
Earthbag building is one of Endeavour's favourite building techniques. We've used it for foundations on many projects, and have built...
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Building with Hempcrete or Hemp-Lime
By Chris Magwood
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November 2, 2014
A group of lucky participants was treated to an excellent weekend workshop on building with hempcrete (or hemp-lime), led by...
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Air tightness details for straw bale walls
By Chris Magwood
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October 25, 2014
Straw bale wall systems have been touted for 20+ years now as a way to achieve higher insulation values with...
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Stop motion straw bale and earth plastering
By Chris Magwood
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October 5, 2014
Sustainable New Construction 2014 student Ben Bowman set up his camera and took some great sequences of the construction process...
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High-straw earthen plaster recipe
By Chris Magwood
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September 19, 2014
It's no secret that we love clay plasters at Endeavour, and the best case scenario is being able to use...
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Paperstone countertops at Canada’s Greenest Home
By Chris Magwood
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August 17, 2014
We spent a lot of time considering our countertop choices for Canada's Greenest Home. It's an area with many options,...
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Framing systems for teachers’ union office
By Chris Magwood
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August 17, 2014
Wood framing is a conventional building practice that we use quite frequently at Endeavour. For the teachers' union project, we...
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Earthbag foundation for floor system
By Chris Magwood
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August 17, 2014
In addition to the Durisol stem wall foundation, our project for the teachers' union office includes two long sections of...
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In Ontario, all building design practitioners must obtain...
Workshop Instructor(s): Jen Feigin & Deirdre McGahern
Entry Requirements - Women only
Have you ever wanted to tackle a carpentry project but don't know quite where to start?...
