From Rocket Science to Natural Building
After graduating from Harvard in Mechanical Engineering and MIT in Aerospace Engineering, Kristina Barile followed her passion for engineering analysis and became a rocket scientist. She also spent her evenings teaching an advanced engineering course to graduate students in Los Angeles. After a few years, she began feeling like something was missing. The days blended together, and she no longer felt passionate about the traditional 9-to-5 job. The future was unknown, but she and her husband decided to take a leap of faith and leave the US for a lifelong adventure.
The Big Leap
After completing schooling for Ayurvedic Counselling in the US, Kristina Barile and her husband sold all of their belongings and left the US in search of a new home. With no plan, they put their faith in higher powers to guide them to their next steps, which led them to the Himilayas and Mount Kailash, a 3-month stay off-grid in a South Indian ashram, and eventually to Panama, where they found a beautiful farm within a few days of landing and bought it!
Kristina and her dog Oso on her permaculture farm in Panama
Building a Mud Home
Unsure of what to build on their permaculture farm, they waited for a sign. Within a few weeks, they were introduced to a neighbor just one minute up the road – a man named Chico who is one of the last builders of traditional Casas de Quincha, or Panamanian mud homes, in the country. After speaking with him, they knew this was the sign they were waiting for. Over 5 months, Chico built the wooden structure of the first half of their mud home, which ended with a 600-person mud building party called a Junta de Embarra.
When the locals recommened cement floors and finishes to the home, Kristina began to research alternatives, inspired by her global travels. She began discovering how ancient materials and techniques performed better and created healthier living spaces. So, in 2021, Kristina took over her mud home project, expanded it, and incorporated global traditions that have never been used within Panama, such as lime tadelakt and strawbale building. She currently uses her structural engineering background to develop natural homes within Panama and is motivated to preserve natural building techniques. In 2023, she completed her home and began working on her natural building school. In May 2023, she held her first workshop for local Panamanians, and in 2024, she will host cob and lime tadelakt workshops for global students.
Kristina's Social Media Links
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