RETREAT-WORKSHOP (3 weeks)
This is an immersion into the world of sculptural bamboo architecture, to learn through co-creation and experience the full cycle of creating organic bamboo spaces for inhabitation. This is also a deep dive into a lifestyle of rewilding. Here is an opportunity to disconnect from 'normal' life and reconnect with your dreams, to reflect and re-imagine what the act of living can become.
THIS IS FOR YOU IF YOU'RE...
* Practising or studying architecture
* Interested in design
* Preparing to build your own home
* Exploring alternative lifestyles
* Looking for a time out to re-calibrate
* Ready to re-energise your sense of purpose
DAY-TO-DAY EXPERIENCE
* Participating in a sculptural bamboo construction, learning-by-doing, alongside the local crafts team
* Guided creative experiences and vision quests led by the Ekawa design team
* Outdoor adventures, witnessing the vibrancy of tropical rainforest life
* Wellness experiences, nourishing body and soul
* Plant-based cuisine to energise your dynamise the day
* Living in nature (at Soná house, in hovering tree-tents or in the campsite with your own camping gear)
GET YOUR HANDS INVOLVED
During a Generation we hold space for creative adventurers to dive into the process of building sculptural space. The real magic of learning about creating sculptural architecture happens on-site through insightful revelations about the interplay of curved elements, the composition of splays and the human experience of the form.
In parallel, participants experience the rawness and abundance of the groves and the life-cycle of bamboo through activities like harvesting and natural immunisation.
IGNITE YOUR CREATIVITY
Lab life is further enriched through design quests, visioning sessions and discussions, where participants are guided through the process of imaginative creation of sculptural space.
The experience lives and breathes through the creatively constructive hands at play. In this way, the Generation is a living organism, where the most insightful learning happens through the creative processes themselves.
REWILD!
This is an experience of full integration into rainforest life, while having a first-hand experience of what it is like to inhabit raw, organic architectural space. An exploration of the existing structures at Ekawa offers insight into alternative ways of living in deep connection with nature.
The expanse of landscapes in Ekawa and our surroundings - forests, mountains, streams, river beaches - are also ready to be explored, enjoyed and experienced!
ACCOMMODATION
Casa Soná, a rammed-earth structure surrounded by bamboo groves and reconstructed by Ekawa with a sculptural bamboo roof, is our main hosting space. The house has an open kitchen and terrace with distant views of the San Blas Valley. Each of the four bedrooms is crowned with a bamboo cupola, with a large oculus that brings in celestial light.
Accommodation is also available in hovering tree-tents, nestled in the forest nearby, or in the campsite, where participants bring their own camping gear.
Nearby there are composting toilets for the recycling of organic matter and open-air showers for an immersion in the forest. A natural pool complements the overall experience, creating a haven for participants to feel at home in nature and a base from which to dive creatively into the world of bamboo.
FEES
Includes: food; accommodation; hands-on learning about bamboo design and construction; lifestyle experiences.
Individual participants
£1750 with accommodation in the Soná House
£1250 with tree tent accommodation
£1000 if you bring your own camping gear
Couples (shared accommodation)
£2750 with accommodation in the Soná House
£2250 with tree tent accommodation