Building With Adobe: 2 Part Earthen Bench Construction (Post Fire Series)

Get grounded in the fundamentals of building an earthen bench at this two-part Earthen Bench Making Workshop series on May 24 and June 8 — as part of the ongoing Post Fire series at Arlington Garden by using the earthen adobe bricks we made at the introductory workshops earlier this spring. Led by Ricky Martin and Lynn Fang of SoilWise and Altadena-based artist Ching Ching Cheng, you’ll learn the ancient and sustainable art of natural earthen construction utilizing the adobe bricks made in our free workshops earlier this spring.

Register for One or Both Hands-On Workshops:

10% off discount offered if you register for both sessions

• Saturday 5/24 from 10am-3pm: BENCH CONSTRUCTION BASICS Learn the first steps of bench construction with handmade sun-dried adobe bricks and upcycled materials to create a bench form and cover it in a base coat of earthen plaster we make together.

• On Sunday 6/8 from 10am-3pm: BENCH FINISHING + DECORATION Mix and apply a smooth fine earthen plaster with natural weatherproofing and then see how to apply a unique mosaic made from historic tiles contributed to the project via a generous Altadena homeowner after being rescued following the Eaton Fire by Save the Tiles.

What You’ll Learn:

No prerequisite or experience is required for either workshop. The workshops are appropriate for all skill levels and abilities but best suited for adults and teens (accompanied by an adult).

• The basics of natural, fire-resistant, and earthquake-resilient building techniques
• How to build a bench form using natural and upcycled materials
• How to mix and apply earthen plaster using just clay, sand, straw, and water
• Construction techniques such as building an arch from adobe bricks for stabilization

• Real-world insight into climate-resilient architecture included in CA's building codes

Whether you're a curious beginner or an earth-building enthusiast, you'll experience the creative and practical magic of cob while helping build a functional, beautiful bench you can sit on and enjoy anytime you are at Arlington Garden.

Transparency Pricing:

Let’s build something lasting—together. Support community, sustainability, and art in action.

While the first two all-ages workshops were free and subsidized by adapting pre-existing grants provied by Ruckus Roots and an ongoing youth education Outreach Grant from First Congregational Church of Pasadena, the next two skills building workshops are not funded by any outside sources and were developed in direct response to community curiosity in natural building following the Eaton Fire.

The ticket cost reflects the costs of materials, design, preparation, hosting, and facilitating these two workshops (about $2500 or $1250 each workshop) and supports this sustainable community programming.

We have priced these at the following sliding scale levels to accomodate a range of income levels, circumstances and abilities to pay in as a sustainable reciprocal model where all payments contribute to the total cost. Please evaluate your current capacity to pay when selecting.*

• 8 available at $45/per day
• 6 available at $60/per day
• 2 available at $75/per day
• 2 available at $90/per day
• 4 available at $110/per day
• 1 available at $125/per day

Registration will close once the workshops are at a capacity of 20 participants. When a higher priced ticket is purchased, it will open more space at the lower priced tiers. If you are interested in sponsoring a select number of tickets or the full series, please reach out to info@arlingtongardenpasadena.org.

Five work-trade spaces are also available to cover one or both workshops are available with volunteer hours on Friday 5/23, Saturday 5/24, or Sunday 6/8 on a first come, first served basis. Please contact info@arlingtongardenpasadena.org to inquire. We need 3 work-trade on Friday 5/23, 1 work-trade on Saturday 5/24, and 1 work-trade on Sunday 6/8.

We welcome all ages, however, most components of the series are geared towards adults and teens ages 13 and up. Free for any/all participants under age 18 but a paid adult is required to accompany.

Photo from Earthen Building for All Ages Brick Making Workshop on 4/19/2025