Alice Ko

Instructor

After receiving a degree in Design & Environmental Analysis from Cornell University, Alice began working in various architectural offices. However, the office environment left her uninspired and in the dark on how to actually build stuff. She craved hands-on experience which led her to the Solar Living Institute where she began building with cob and straw bale. This center for sustainable education is also where Alice and Denise met, as interns in 2005.

Alice continued her journey into natural building and travelled to Taos, NM, her current home. There she built an adobe brick and straw bale off-grid home. She continued to offer the community opportunities to experience adobe through workshops and demonstrations at the Farmer’s Market. Since 2013, Alice has worked for various contractors as a residential carpenter, accumulating her building experience further with conventional construction. Combining her love of natural materials, with the technical skills of construction, and her design background, her studio, Three Jewels Design, offers adobe repair, interior earthen finishes, and residential design/build services.