Terracota Patrimony VII
Description: This work camp aims to awaken youth for the traditional building techniques and the surrounding built heritage. It is an Hands-on approach in ancient building techniques, specially lime mortars and plasters, with introductions to raw earth (adobe, rammed earth, CEB, earth plasters) and ceramics (modelling, raku firing, other firing techniques). During the camp we will act in public structures repairing, maintaining and co-creating new assets on these buildings, focusing on the Castle's Kiosk and OCT's facilities (workshops where raw and fired earth materials/works are explored and produced). Cooperation, communication, self esteem, problem solving, risk evaluation, leadership and decision making are competences that we will work together while (re)building for and with the local community.
Type of Work: Terra[cota] VII will provide the oportunity to build street furniture on a heritage protected area in Montemor-o-Novo. A drinking fountain will be built inside the walls of the Castle, a place with daily turistic visitors where a water point is still missing. The tasks include the building from scratch of this element and the intervention on an existing building and surrounding elements to obtain a welcoming place for visitors with space and supporting facilities in a coherent aesthetical line that still mixes traditional and innovative sustainable building solutions.
Study Theme: Learning how to build in masonry technique; building arches (funicular geometry structures); glazing terracota; different finishings for terracota; apply and repair traditional lime plasters and paintings; Applying reinforced waterproof membrane on terraces; introduction to traditional handmade fired and raw earth, clay preparation and application; Repair traditional terracota brick structures (remove vegetation, cleaning and apply natural waterproof coatings like lime-wash); Cleaning and organize working areas and tools used during the activities.
Accommodation: Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner. The lunch and dinner meals will be at the convent and will be vegetarian with possibility of vegan choice, in respect to the protein needs of the body in mainly physical activity. The breakfast will be have different options that can be adapted during the camp according to the groups's preferences and in line with the available budget. There is access to several shared kitchens around our facilities to prepare your snacks. Accommodation: in shared dormitory inside the old convent and in a Youth center 3 minutes away. There is the possibility to use private tent
Approximate Location: The working environment is relaxed, in the heart of a strong artistic influenced small city in Alentejo Region Montemor-o-novo. Altough this region has a low population density, the city can be very busy in terms of cultural activity.