Scaling Natural Building as a Poly-Solution with Massey Burke

What does it take to bring natural building out of the dirt road context and into the urban fabric? For natural materials specialist Massey Burke, that question has shaped two decades of work.

From her first encounter with integrated natural building as an intern at a nonprofit permaculture site in northern California, Massey knew natural building was in her DNA. She felt an instant connection and over time came to see earthen materials and the ancient techniques used to assemble them into shelter as poly-solutions to the current polycrisis.

As the director of the California Straw Building Association (CASBA), co-founder of Verdant Panel, a panelized straw wall system, and natural materials specialist (and sometimes, chemist), Massey has made it her personal mission to scale the values of open-source, natural building while being careful to uphold the traditions of it.

This episode examines the technical foundations of working with site-sourced and regional materials and the broader movement to scale natural building. Massey discusses supply chain development, prefabrication innovation, and policy engagement and the need to preserve the community-centered, transparent values that distinguish these living traditions from industrialized construction. Throughout the episode, she renovates a tool shed into a home office using five natural building techniques and three ingredients.