Practice in:

• Adobe
• Pau-a-pique
• Cob
• Hyperadobe
• Green Roof Construction
• Bamboo
• Biological Filter
• Plasto-cement
• Natural Coating and Painting
• Alpha / Beta methodology

Impressions of:

• Intuitive Architecture
• Dry toilet "Bason"
• Floor-slab technique "Cascaje"
• Recycling
• Water cycles
• Geobiology

For all those who wish to learn how to build with their own hands, the Institute Tibá RIO, with Johan and Marc van Lengen, Leo Adler and Gonzalo Nadal are pleased to announce this opportunity to exchange knowledge! The centre of Tibá is located in a beautiful valley, surrounded by an atlantic forest, in the city of Bom Jardim, near Nova Friburgo. An exuberant nature that welcomes and stimulates our participants.

Sustainable techniques will be approached in order to explain the concept of bio-architecture through the combination of traditional materials (such as earth and bamboo) and non-traditional materials (cement and plasto-cement). The workshop is ideal as a first contact with ancient construction methods, or for putting into practice the concepts from The Barefoot Architect. 

Johan van Lengen

After his childhood and high school in the Netherlands, he emigrated to Ecuador, where he worked as a judo teacher. His skills as a draftsman allowed an architectural study at Canadian college, where many of his other talents took root. Working in the United States his career spanned a vast body of architectural design (among other hospitals, schools and cultural buildings) and urban planning on both continents.

A highly-focused approach to finding innovative solutions has led Johan to a process of expanding the boundaries of his own discipline. A huge research work done for the United Nations on the experimental dissemination of sustainable construction allowed us to create the book that became the pillar of the future institute; The Manual of the Barefoot Architect.

Johan has been teaching at TIBÁ along with many other renowned experts for those who yearn for a better understanding of human habitation in the midst of a natural environment.

Marc van Lengen

Born in San Francisco in the early 60's, with his parents being Rose, an artist and Johan, an architect. During childhood, he was exposed to the arts while living in San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City. After leaving home, he began studying Architecture and Fine Arts, but left after two years to find his own way, which led to a period of travels around the world and a time with the teachings of Osho in Rashneeshpuram. Later, in Amsterdam and London, he was fortunate to work with several photography and carpentry masters.

For many years he was a fashion and music photographer and after returning to Rio de Janeiro in 2003, he soon turned to one of his first passions, architecture and construction. Since, he is the director of the TIBÁ Institute.

Gonzalo Nadal

Born in Argentina, since 2012 works with Bioconstruction. In 2013 he was co-founder of the ECOHACER bio-building cooperative, Patagonia. Since 2015 he coordinates the construction team of the architect Irina Biletska in southern Bahia, integrating experiences from the south and the north. Gonzalo worked as a team with architect Marco Aresta (Portugal) specializing in natural construction techniques, and engineering for cold weather in Patagonia. In his endeavors he reconciled and integrated the execution the work with training of apprentices in professional bio-construction, introducing innovative and sustainable solutions to the area of civil construction.