Come to a Workshop
For groups of 10 or more it may be possible to organise bespoke training. Bespoke tours last 2 hours and take the Courtyard tour further and target to your group’s interests and level of expertise. Bespoke tours can be run face-to-face or online.
We customise these tours to meet your needs and interests. Examples of themes for bespoke tours currently offered include:
- Co-housing and community organisation
- Self-build
- Sustainable design principles
- Zero Carbon Homes
- Campaigning for social change
- The Pioneer in me
Further details of what we typically cover under each topic area are included below.
| Cost | Benefits |
|---|---|
£45 for individuals £25 concessions |
|
Co-housing
- The benefits of co-housing and community living
- A tour of the Courtyard and its co-housing features
- How to start and run a successful co-housing project
- Mortgages and lending
- Case studies and lessons learned
- Pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Privacy in co-housing
- Legal structures, available options, pros and cons
- Community constitution
- Relying on open intelligence
- Time for reflection and discussion
Self-Build Part 1
- An insiders tour of the Ashley Vale Community
- How to start and run a successful community self-build project
- Legal and policy context
- Ownership models
- Mortgages and lending
- Building warrantee
- Taxes
- Practicalities of building as a group
- Pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Easy wins for reducing costs
- Time for reflection and discussion
Self-Build Part 2
- A tour of the Courtyard and its self-build aspects
- The benefits of self-building your home
- The benefits of community self-build
- Options for a better quality of life
- Options to live more sustainably
- Community features, pros and cons
- What it takes to succeed
- Relying on open intelligence.
- Community constitution
- The principles of Unity and Service
- Case studies and lessons learned
Sustainable Design Principles
- A tour of the Courtyard and its sustainable design features
- Zero carbon design principles
- Passive House design
- Sustainable and natural building materials
- Design and beauty
- Case studies
- Time for reflection and discussion
Zero Carbon Homes
- A tour of the Courtyard and its zero carbon technologies
- Energy efficiency design principles
- Renewable energy and low carbon technologies, pros and cons
- Indoor environmental comfort
- Emerging technologies
- Subsidies and grants
- Easy wins: what you can do on a low budget
- Options for both existing and new build homes
- Other ways of reducing your carbon footprint
- Lessons learned and recommendations
- Time for reflection and discussion.
Campaigning for Social Change
- How to get support from your local authority for self-build communities
- Self-build register
- New custom build and self-build legislation and its implication for you
- Solution focussed campaign methods
- Stakeholder communication
- Tips of getting planning permission
- Case studies
- A tour of the Courtyard project and sharing our direct campaigning experience
- Time for reflection and discussion
The Pioneer in me
- Meet the Courtyard pioneers and hear them share their experience
- What makes a successful pioneer?
- Why are pioneers essential for successful eco-community building?
- Your innate knowing
- The pioneer in me
- How does it work in practice?
- What support do I need?
- What support is available
- Time for reflection and discussion.