Day 4: Eco building, Italian night

Day 4: Strawbale building

In the morning of day 4 we had a theoretical seminar about eco-building and we concluded that we need to answer 3 questions to succesefuly eco-build:

-What do we really need?

-What do we really want?

-What do we have around us?

Natural building is not about the right way. There are many options and you can even combine natural materials with some cement.

It’s more about being in contact with the materials and the whole process, like a spiritual connection. The feeling of being productive is what counts.

Humans should work as long as they feel good, and not just a matter of hours.

The materials we used were straw and clay mixed with water. The process of building needed 3 groups, one to soak the straw in the mixture, other to fit the straw in the walls, and the other to move up the wood forms that held the walls, because straw needs to be structured as it is not as strong and moldable as cob. This property gives less freedom to the workers but on the positive side, it’s less hard on your hands.

The groups were working as a big organism and everyone changed their position so they could experience and learn as much as possible.

The sensations working with our hands is fantastic because you can feel all the materials of your building and everything passes through your hands. When you mix everything and finish your building you can feel in your walls what you did.

During the afternoon we went for a hike in the mountains. The goal was to reach the spring where they take the water to drink and to water the plants. It took us about one hour and a half, but it was worth the effort because the place was really beautiful and wild. After a while we returned home through a different path, this time we followed the dry river, where we had to jump from boulder to boulder until we reached a path that took us up. When we returned there was some delicious Italian pasta waiting for us, as well as a zucchini and cheese salad. For desert we ate a fruit salad and after dinner we relaxed after a long day listening to some cultural music.