completed project
FRASTA SCHOOL | Οn Traditional Building Techniques
completed project
location: Frasta, Tzoumerka, Epirus
date: 03/09/2022 - 16/09/2022
tutors: Dimitris Fotis, Kostas Tarnanas, Pavlos Vichas, Ioannis Bakayiannis, Tryphonas Papaioannou and Dominic Taylor
co-organizers: Municipality of Central Tzoumerka, Technical Chamber of Greece Epirus Department
support and aegis: Ministry of Culture and Sports, J.M. Kaplan fund
collaboration: Georgia Kanellopoulou (cultural mapping coordinator)
photography: Iason Anthanasiadis, Dalia de Gondi, Athanasios Aggelis Archive, Grigoris Koutropoulos (BLK), Ioanna Ntoutsi (BLK)
completed project
Boulouki returns to the region of Tzoumerka, to the Former Primary School of Frasta in Central Tzoumerka, after four years of research, restoration projects, workshops and activities with the local community.
The practical part of the workshop focused on the restoration of the former primary school in the village of Frasta, next to the area of Plaka, which has hosted most of the group's projects in Epirus. A series of restoration works and new constructions were carried out so that the 1955’s -not in use for decades- building could revive as a hub for educational and research activities.
The experienced stone and wood craftsmen, guided the 18 participants through the following tasks:
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Repointing of part of the western facade of the school - preparation of 20sm of masonry and application of lime-based mortar
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Restoration of the schoolyard walling - construction of 50sm of dry stone retaining walls using local sandstone
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Construction of a new gate - entrance to the schoolyard (combination of wood, stone and lime mortar) - construction of 15sm of masonry using lime mortar and local sandstone, construction of the timber roof supporting structure and frame of the new gate using traditional joinery techniques and applying pine tar for the protection of the wooden surfaces
In Parallel, during the workshop we deepened our knowledge in the identification, recording and interpretation of the cultural assets in the areas of Frasta, Plaka and Monolith, through the tools of cultural mapping and focused ethnographic fieldwork.
Through tours and in situ recordings, semi-structured interviews and participation in productive activities of local residents, the participants worked in groups to develop thematic maps about the use of the raw materials of the area in traditional building, water management, paths’ network and productive activities, as well as the history of the construction and operation of the old Frasta primary school.
process
