Bio
I specialise in creating bespoke cob structures where form, function and imagination merge to enhance and compliment their surroundings. From wood fired pizza ovens and outdoor kitchens, to garden walls and intimate seating areas, I like to create spaces that encourage positive human interaction and connection both with each other and with the environment.
I grew up in a 400 year old cob cottage in Devon in the south west of the UK. My father is a potter and my mother is a painter. I have a fine art degree and started building with cob in 2011. In 2014 I attended an apprenticeship course at Sundog School of Natural Building in Mendocino, California. I was taught by Kirk 'Donkey' Mobert and Bryan Burnoski who both previously taught at Ianto Evans and Linda Smileys Cob Cottage Company in Oregon. This was a pivotal experience for me and since then I have returned to the US to work with other natural building professionals (including Kindra Welch and John Curry at Clay Sand Straw in Austin, Texas) to further my learning and have worked on many projects here in the UK. I have taught cob pizza oven building in the UK and in Portugal and I co-taught a 9 day cob building workshop in Oregon. I have a keen eye for detail, a strong aesthetic and an approach to my work that is both serious and playful.
I grew up in a 400 year old cob cottage in Devon in the south west of the UK. My father is a potter and my mother is a painter. I have a fine art degree and started building with cob in 2011. In 2014 I attended an apprenticeship course at Sundog School of Natural Building in Mendocino, California. I was taught by Kirk 'Donkey' Mobert and Bryan Burnoski who both previously taught at Ianto Evans and Linda Smileys Cob Cottage Company in Oregon. This was a pivotal experience for me and since then I have returned to the US to work with other natural building professionals (including Kindra Welch and John Curry at Clay Sand Straw in Austin, Texas) to further my learning and have worked on many projects here in the UK. I have taught cob pizza oven building in the UK and in Portugal and I co-taught a 9 day cob building workshop in Oregon. I have a keen eye for detail, a strong aesthetic and an approach to my work that is both serious and playful.
Testimonials
"I am a director of Growing Links, a community led food activism organisation based in Cornwall. One of our aims is to reskill the community by offering training. We commissioned Bjorn to teach a cob oven building course to adults and young people in our community. The course was a great success and was delivered by Bjorn with great skill, professionalism and humour. Throughout the course Bjorn facilitated hands on, experiential learning and encouraged participants to work cooperatively. The participants not only benefited from the course by acquiring new skills and interests, but also through improving their social skills. The oven that was built as a result of the course is a sturdy, functional oven which now widely benefits our community."
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"Bjorn built a stunning clay oven at Bath City Farm as part of a workshop for Volunteers and Families in May 2019. We love it so much and have used it many times for different groups. We can to feed up to 30 people with it in one sitting!! It looks great, works really efficiently and Bjorn was more than a pleasure to work with, going above and beyond to make sure he did a good job and engaged everyone throughout the different stages of the process. Highly recommended!!"
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"Bjorn is truly a master of his craft and he made an enormous contribution to our project and a lasting impression in our hearts. His uncanny ability to transform a vague idea we had into a stunning kitchen annex with a pizza oven is astounding and his suggestion to incorporate a rocket stove was pure genius. We learned so much from him as did the volunteers who made up the rest of the team. All agreed that working alongside Bjorn was a joy and the best fun! We are so grateful that Bjorn was able to return when the time came to do the cob rendering of the main kitchen. It was quite a daunting project for us on such a large straw bale construction but Bjorn's wealth of knowledge and experience produced a finish beyond our wildest dreams. He is an inspirational team leader who's gentle and patient nature brings out the best in everyone."
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