Green Building

Green building is a land stewardship practice

	Using local, natural materials like manure and clay reduces the need for fossil fuels to produce and transport more energy intensive materials
	Building with fewer and simpler materials means fewer pollutants are emitted through industrial processes. No toxic materials were used.
	Using FSC and Nagaya certified eco-wood from well-managed woodlots protects forest ecosystems and biodiversity.
	Toxin-free buildings are better for people. Low-impact materials use fewer fossil fuels, which reduces suffering brought on by climate change.

The Pavilion is a low-cost, low-impact structure built by the Windhorse Farm community. It is used as a dining room, meeting room, and community gathering place.

Construction

The walls are cob, a mixture of local (on the farm or close by) sand, clay, straw, and fresh horse manure.

The beams and rafters were salvaged from a warehouse on the Halifax dockyard. All the rest of the lumber was harvested and processed at Windhorse Farm.

The mixed-species flooring was made in our woodshop from "eco-wood" certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Nagaya Forest Restoration. This particular wood was of a quality too low to sell, but serviceable for on-farm use.