Create your own eco building

Why eco building?

Living in an eco building brings you closer to nature, boosts your well-being and allows you to live according to your ecological values. Eco buildings are designed to minimize their impact on the environment, by using natural, renewable or reycled materials, being well insulated and incorporating the principles of passive solar design. Another important aspect is to assess how much space you actually need. By designing floor plans cleverly, it is possible to save a lot of effort, materials and money! Practicals will illustrate these principles and deepen the learning experience. They include hands-on construction as well as design exercises that take your own project to the next level.

In case you already have some sketches, a site or ideas, please bring them along.

Course Content

You will learn the following:

• Eco construction techniques and materials

• Efficient use of water, energy and electricity

• Site selection and building position

• Detailing and eco refurbishment

• Passive solar design

• Hands-on experience working with natural stone and wood

• How to design a building layout that suits your needs

Course Structure

The course will run every day from 9.00 - 13.00 and on four evenings from 18.00 - 19.30 hrs, with short interim breaks as required. You can also take part in two evening Yoga classes. The long lunch breaks allow a rest or time to go swimming. We will start at 18.00 hrs on the arrival day and finish with breakfast on the leaving day.

The venue

Gea Viva is an eco retreat camp in a tranquil olive grove, 15 minutes’ walk from the sea and the harbour village Milna on the beautiful Croatian island Brač. It is all about giving people the opportunity to experience living in harmony with nature. Being completely off-grid, Its design is based on permaculture principles featuring a stone circle, a beautiful pavilion which serves as a teaching space, a permaculture garden, compost toilets, solar showers, a geodesic dome, a straw bale eco cabin, a tiny house, a giant mosaic dragon and a cosy Summer kitchen. The course will take place in our outdoor pavilion and around the Gea Viva site.

Instructor

Sabine Engelhardt is an architect, joiner and geomancer, who is the innitiator of the Gea Viva project. Being passionate about eco building, she has, together with friends and volunteers, built most structures on site. Sabine is an award-winning architect with fifteen year's experience, and has taught construction design part-time at Preston University for three years. She has designed and constructed two tiny houses, which you can see on site.

Food and Practicalities

We have a fully equipped kitchen on site, and will prepare vegetarian meals jointly. If you have special dietary requirements, please let us know in the registration form.
Please note that alcohol, drugs and meat are not consumed on site.

The village Milna has grocery shops, restaurants, bars, cash points, a currency exchange, a doctor, a pharmacy and a post office.

What to bring

Please bring coloured pens, a notebook, any information you might have regarding your own eco house project, working clothes, a sun hat, sunscreen and a towel.