Hello Everyone!
I am a builder and student of architecture from the United States with a passion for earthen building and sustainable design. I will be in New Zealand from
approximately May 17 through June 28, and I am seeking a paid internship in an architectural firm or a job in construction, ideally with a focus on sustainability. I am also open to work-trade opportunities on natural building projects.
I have extensive experience over the last five years with natural building. The centerpiece of my work has been the design and construction of my own home, an amalgam of building techniques including cob, straw bale, slipstraw, stone, and timber. It was one
of the first buildings in the world to use the hybrid technique of bale-cob, a load-bearing wall system utilizing the insulation of straw bales and the thermal mass of cob to their greatest advantage. My account of its construction was the first published case-study of such a building, included in The CobWeb issue #19 as a companion to Ianto Evans’ article describing the technique. I have published other articles in The CobWeb and The Last Straw, and my account of constructing my own masonry heater was published in the latest edition of Ianto Evans’ book about Rocket Stoves. Alongside working on my own home I have volunteered on numerous natural building projects in Indiana, as well as teaching workshops on cob, earthen ovens, and rocket stoves.
In addition to my natural building experience, I have worked professionally in numerous trades, always providing my employers or clients with creative solutions and quality work. I have been employed as a foreman of landscaping and irrigation crews, an irrigation service technician, a landscape drafter, a carpenter, and a roofer. I have also installed septic systems, operated heavy machinery, designed and built custom bookshelves, and laid decoratively finished concrete.
I love getting my hands dirty, but I am also highly creative and successful in academic and office settings. I am currently an honor society student finishing a two-year degree in architectural design and drafting and will be transferring in the fall to complete a bachelor’s degree in architecture. Recently, I served as a design consultant for the Keeping Hill Co-Housing Community in Columbus, Indiana, providing valuable input to their site plan from both conceptual and solar perspectives. I am equally at home in the field or in the office, and have the skills to make creative contributions in both arenas.
If you are aware of any opportunities, I would love to hear from you!
Christopher Reinhart
record number 436
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