This course was about building with natural materials. A natural continuation of the PDC that I had taken earlier. And the place – the beautiful Greek island of Skiathos. It took place in the first half of October and, as in Bulgaria at that time, it started with a lot of rain. That is a challenge when living in tents and spending most of the time outside. But our international group quickly came together and soon the sun started to smile. Ilectra’s place is located almost at the top of the island from where wonderful views open. The first days were dedicated to getting to know and uniting the group. We did morning circles, distributed tasks, shared thoughts, planned … One could feel how important community is to our host and her desire for us all to have an unforgettable experience. It turned out that quite a few of the participants are young architects, eager to learn more about building with natural materials. And the teachers that Ilectra had invited, Rui and Laurane, made the whole course very fun and dynamic. They spent hours explaining to us about eco-construction, prepared booklets with a graphic explanation of the stages and tasks, and organized lots of fun games to make the theory even more interesting…
On the fourth day, we began building a building measuring roughly 3m x 7m, which will be located on one of the terraces of the steep terrain. The idea was to cut and prepare wooden walls and floor elements, which would then be quickly assembled and placed on isolated stone foundations. We divided into teams and the work began. 12 isolated foundations built with stones from the terrain are the basis of the new building. With threaded rod on them, we leveled the previously prepared end parts of the floor. The floor is protected from rodents with wire mesh, and all wooden parts are coated with linseed oil. The middle part of the floor is left for additional construction, in order to avoid a discrepancy in dimensions with the foundations.
At 17:30 the work ended with a review and discussion, and the next day we started with new knowledge and were divided into new teams. The evenings were for walks, beaches, sunsets, conversations, and sometimes various presentations were organized. Somewhere in the middle of the course Ilectra organized a group walk around the city with a local guide, a walk through the magical forest and an overnight stay on the beach for the bravest. One of the evenings was reserved for a pizza party.
After the floor was laid, the transverse walls that would support the roof were carried and attached, and the remaining interior walls were installed between them. While some prepared the rafters for the roof, others collected and prepared bamboo. After the rafters were placed on the roof, boards were nailed, a membrane was laid and sheet metal panels were installed. Bamboo was attached to the walls where we would later plaster with clay. The clay, dug in the immediate vicinity, first had to be tested to determine in what proportions it would mix with sand and straw. It turned out that the clay on the island is very good and none of the tests with different proportions cracked, but still a winner was chosen and the laying of the first layer began.
The work is not easy, but with good music and company it goes quickly. Lightweight straw was chosen for insulation of the floor and part of the interior walls. The straw is soaked in a clay bath, squeezed well and pressed between the beams.
Unfortunately, we only had time to apply a finishing layer of lime, sand and clay mixture on one section. Ilectra is completing the work with local volunteers, and we are following the progress with interest!
Skiathos is a very beautiful island with beautiful beaches, a town rich in history and typical architecture, with a few cats in front of each house. We sweetened ourselves with fruits from pomegranates, oranges and wild strawberry trees.
Thanks to Ilectra for the hospitality and organization of the entire event.
To Rui and Laurane, for the wonderful energy and passion they shared with us.
Thanks also to Daphne for the delicious food she prepared for us and Rakonto team for the beautiful photo album.
Thanks to Green School Village, who sent us there.
And to the Erasmus + program.
