el Valle de Sensaciones


how a house makes us feel

Studying the low cost buildings in Valle de Sensaciones

Hidden in a steep-sided valley just south of Yátor in the Alpujarras, Spain, el valle de sensaciones is a marvel of art, invention and gorgeous eco-buildings. It’s original intension was to to be a cultural centre and to create an ‘artistic sustainable paradise’. This is no eco-village nor eco-community and there are very few residents. Achim, the founder, runs a broad variety of courses and workshops on practical eco-building skills (among other things) for which people travel far and wide.

how a house makes us feel

Studying the low cost buildings in Valle de Sensaciones

Hidden in a steep-sided valley just south of Yátor in the Alpujarras, Spain, el valle de sensaciones is a marvel of art, invention and gorgeous eco-buildings. It’s original intension was to to be a cultural centre and to create an ‘artistic sustainable paradise’. This is no eco-village nor eco-community and there are very few residents. Achim, the founder, runs a broad variety of courses and workshops on practical eco-building skills (among other things) for which people travel far and wide.

Building a Roundhouse with woodhenge and cobwood

A very good documentation of the buildingprozess

Creations in Nature

LandArt Movie

Creacions in Nature 2

LandArt Film

Andy Goldsworthy

1987 Grizedale

Creations related to '':

Steine

LandArt with balance

Steine

LandArt with balance

Hexagono

an artistic little house

A small hexagonal house of just 11 square meters. Its walls are build with local clay, whereas a different mixture and technique has been used on each of the sides, so as to experiment with the process and its result. The floor is made with stones from the river, fixed with the same clay, and a coat of linseed oil make it water resistant.

Octagon

the heart of the valley

The octagon is the central space of Valle de Sensaciones. Thanks to its design it suits different uses: its a space for meeting as well as for doing workshops, it is also the kitchen and a turns into a dance floor when we party. We can tear off two of its walls and make it into a half open space for summer. Thanks to its central hole on the mandala roof and its vaporizing ground it keeps a nice climate in summer. It is made of 90% materials from our own land: clay, olive and ash beams, crushed reed, esparto and rush.

Flowforms

Water in a swinging flow

The special form of these bowl make the water, which is pouring into them, swing. It swings and forms an “eight” shape, as a wave which flows alternately to one and the other wing of the bowl. This movement is not only magic for the viewer, but it also stimulates the capability of water to clean and regenerate itself. It corresponds to the natural flow of water, which moves vibrating into the shape of meander.

Cave

Sound space in the belly of mother earth

Come in into the cave, into the belly of the earth. In this darkness you will also come in touch with yourself, with your inner voice, maybe with your intuition, or maybe even with your fears. This cave has the shape of a dome; this makes the voices and other musical instruments sound magical and powerful, and seem to get across the earth and across your own body. The resonance pitch is in tune with the earth pitch and it is therefore in tune with the main pitch from our planet, which express itself also in the transition of day and night.

clay igloos in french britanny

sleebing in our mothers womb

It was in spring 2011 when I met this wonderful group of people living in clay buildings with thatched roofs or lime-covered earth domes. Also very fascinated by their general way of life close to nature I stayed some time with them and learned to build the clay igloos they call kerterre ("ker" from the breton word for home, my place).