Marco Poletto, director of the research studio at the Architectural Association and co-founder of ecoLogicStudio, visited Valldaura this 21th of January.
Poletto will be part of the Master Design for Self Sufficiency, and some of his proposals include planting hemp as a material for use in manufacturing processes. His students will learn both the applications of hemp fibers, as well as methods of its implementation within construction processes.

A group of volunteers, including IAAC students, met on December 25 to clear a piece of forest in Valldaura. The selected area was abandoned more than forty years ago, and weeds, bushes and small trees had eaten the space.
The idea: reformulating the ground in order to turn it into an edible forest, a Forest Garden, with the help of Jamie Nicol. Create a forest, divided into different layers, where each individual element has a specific function, from small grass, tree, vine or just through one layer to another. And wherein, each of these elements is beneficial, in a symbiotic relationship for edible forest. In addition, we designed and built small walls and fences with vegetable waste generated during cleaning – improving the environment.
Based on collaborative work, the volunteers were able to clean and prepare the terraces for planting. A paella, a great reward, was waiting for them later, in the center square Valldaura Research.