Fleming College's Sustainable Building Design and Construction course trains students to conceive and construct buildings using materials and methods with the least possible environmental impact. They develop strategies to design and build beautiful, healthy, and ecologically sound homes and public buildings.

The Sustainable Building students are building the R.D. Lawrence Place for the Township of Minden Hills, Ontario. It will teach visitors about Canada’s natural history, sustainable building, and house a writers' centre. "R.D. Lawrence Place is dedicated to fostering a love of reading, promoting the art of writing and deepening respect for our natural heritage."

The R.D. Lawrence Place employs many sustainable building methods, and makes use of non-toxic, low-embodied energy materials like hemp straw bales, milk paints and soy stains, and local earthen plasters.

Free guided tours are offered each Thursday at 5:30pm. Come learn about sustainable building from the students themselves! Meet at the construction site: 174 Bobcaygeon Road, Minden.

Artist's rendering of completed building 

Completed building awaiting the first snow falls...

...and the first snow falls.