We visited back at the Eko-Odlarna in Östertälje, and the cordwood construction built 3 years ago. The shop has proven to be functional and in use for the farmers. Many visitors are curious about the building, seeing it from the road, and stop to check it out.
– It helps having a building like this, one of the farmers add, it appeals to people interested in organic produce, and those are the ones we sell to.
The building was in good shape with some minor problems. An insect had built a nest in the mortar close to the ground on the eastern facade. This section needs to be redone, but doesn’t provide any structural challenges. The larger oak pieces had shrunk, which was predicted. The gap can now be filled with extra clay mortar. The load bearing corner looked in good shape. The curved wall, which was the most experimental part, has survived well. A couple of minor cracks, but other than that, the recycled hardwood is a beautiful feature.
The organic farm is functioning well, and we got a great tour of the season harvest, as well as stocking up on vegetables before leaving. We also had the chance to reconnect to some of the farmers who ran the place in 2017, although over the phone this time.
– Anna Sundman, AES
We are gathering the feedback from different actors that took part in building the cordwood building in Sweden in 2017. Revisiting the structure and recalling the work makes us proud of the communal effort, a true team completed it! It has been interesting to follow the development and especially how the building is a piece of a larger puzzle of locally produced food.
– It helps having a building like this, one of the farmers add, it appeals to people interested in organic produce, and those are the ones we sell to.
On the 28th of august the travelling exhibition opens in Stockholm. The doors open at 17 with presentations starting at 18.30 by AES. The project results from the 3 year collaboration will be presented and discussed through the topic of placemaking, co-creation and resources.
The last week of the workshop, and plenty of things were completed. We started and finished laying the cordwood floors, using the cut up oak. All the walls were completed, all with its own pattern.The eastern wall made up by the windows placed as a V, and walls filled by chopped birch wood and debarked oak logs. Above the windows we made the wall fillings by recycled wood
The third week started with making the first cordwood wall, starting with the southern facade. It was exciting to finally see some results from processing of the material. The roof was completed to the point of having a covered structure. The layers for planting will be done at a later stage.
The 2nd week started with a lecture by Cordwood DIY builder Olle Hagman, taking us through the history of cordwood building, the development of the technique and how it’s being used today. Olle also joined us on site with some valuable advice.
The first week of LearnBIØN course #3 Design and Build with Cordwood started on the 1st august with an introduction in Järna. The team was gathered with participants from 9 nationalities, all with unique skills that each one brings to the project.
Design and Build with Cordwood is a 4 week building workshop. During the workshop we will build a cordwood building to suit the needs of the newly established organic farmers in Östertälje.
