Valldaura Self Sufficient Labs

Valldaura Self Sufficient Labs is a research center focused on self sufficiency within three main labs:

• Food Lab: In the field of food management we are partnering with the international Slow Food Movement (slowfood.com), headquartered in Italy and with its partner universities. We're creating a School of Bio-Food with top class chefs who follow the principles of organic production and zero food mile cuisine. We close the cycle from food production to human consumption and subsequent energy production or new nutrients for the soil, doing research in technologies for the generation of food on both a small and large scale. The "outputs" of a process are the next stage´s nutrients.

• Energy Lab: Valldaura aims to be self-sufficient in energy, able to meet its needs from renewable sources. The basis of the whole system is the Energrid research project developed by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia for Endesa, in collaboration with the Foundation i2Cat. It is being implemented for the first time in our facilities at Valldaura and is equivalent to an energy Internet, a system in which the various Valldaura buildings produce, consume, store or share energy using sophisticated energy efficiency principles and mechanisms.

• Green Fab Lab: In fabrication the closed cycle approach has created a digital laboratory for natural resources associated with the international network of FabLabs driven by MIT (Boston), with over 150 laboratories in 30 countries. One line of research concerns the development of new materials from natural ingredients using wood, earth, or minerals using the latest technologies, while the other makes building materials, manufactures bricks, glass or resins using simple artisan techniques. The laboratory includes various ovens following the tradition of the "Bóbila" that was typical of all big farms of Catalonia. http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tejar

Valldaura will be an open research and production center, independent and global, counting on the collaboration of different communities in Barcelona and at the same time be connected with different centers and similar laboratories worldwide.

The Valldaura Permaculture program will target people with interest in learning the principles, applications and implications of the discipline or practice of Permaculture, developed in Australia in the 1970's as a reaction to the growing evidence of ecological devastation across the globe.

To start this program, Valldaura Self-Sufficient Labs is launching the first Permaculture design course in Barcelona in June 2013.

The objective of this campaign is to co-finance the first 72-hour, certified Permaculture Design Course given by the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia here in Barcelona.
This campaign will serve to cover the costs of the course, tutors, and materials without compromising the investment of participants. Through this campaign the aim is also to provide different benefits to the local community interested in Permaculture and objectives that incorporate the common good by promoting research activities Valldaura Labs.

The Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) is an international recognised, seventy-two hour course, which on completion results in a Permaculture Design Certificate. It provides an introduction to Permaculture design as set forth by the movement founder, Bill Mollison, who will be giving a live video introduction to the course from his home in Australia. The course is taught by the well-known and experienced team of Geoff and Nadia Lawton.

The PDC serves as a basis for work and study in Permaculture, and is a prerequisite for the Diploma in Permaculture Design, also offered through the Permaculture Research Institute. Credit for this course is accepted by a growing number of universities around the world.
To date, thousands of Permaculture designers worldwide have been certified through this course, and now constitute a global network of educators, ecological activists who influence major corporations, individuals creating new business alternatives and groups of committed people working together to change the way we look at design in our landscapes.

The curriculum is based on:

• The theory and principles of Permaculture
• Design and location of self-sufficient houses
• Energy conservation techniques for cold climates
• Recycling and waste management
• Production of organic food
• Collection and management of water
• Ecological Pest Control
• Strategies for drought
• Rehabilitation of soil
• Erosion Control
• Livestock
• Aquaculture
• Disaster Preparation
• Windbreaks and fire control

The fundamentals of this course adhere closely to ¨The Permaculture Design Manual¨ by Bill Mollison, which will be given to students on the first day. Students are invited to bring details of their own projects or potential sites to discuss during the course.

IaaC was founded in 2001 and its first academic activity was the Master of Advanced Architecture program, which remains true to its beginnings, promoting projects such as the Dictionary of Advanced Architecture, Media House in collaboration with MIT (Boston), the Hypercatalunya exhibition, the Hyperhabitat exhibition at the Venice Biennale, and the FabLab House in the Solar Decathlon program.

Nuria Díaz, directs Valldaura labs (IAAC) & Design for self sufficiency Master
Jamie Nicol, direct Valldaura Permaculture Master program
Tomas Diez, directs Fab Lab Barcelona, main development of Green Fab Lab and faculty at IAAC
Guillem Camprodon, researcher at IAAC and coordinator GreeFab Lab, in Valldaura Labs (IAAC)
Ana Martinez, coordinator in Valldaura Labs (IAAC), & Environment and Landscape Master
Claudia Nieto, researcher in Valldaura in Environment & Permaculture
Rodrigo Rubio, coordinator in structures in Valldaura Labs(IAAC) , directs design for self sufficiency Master
Areti Markopoulou, Directs the Master in Advanced Architecture at IAAC