By Regina Kruse-Özçelik

Early Birds Istanbul Founder & Author

The concept of clay construction, which was pioneered at the EBI Nest, has found its way into a private garden in Istanbul. How did this happen?

Inspired by the earth construction projects at the EBI kindergarten, a small group of children wanted to replicate our construction projects and build their own earth house in their private garden. On a sunny October day, planning began with the selection of the location and a list of the necessary materials, including: a wooden platform, straw, clay soil, water, wooden molds, and a 4 m² strong tarpaulin. A few days later, everything was ready—and even friends and parents had rolled up their pant legs and were ready to work.

How can we build a clay house with children?

Thanks to many hard-working feet, the clay-straw mixture was quickly trampled together and filled into the wooden brick molds. After drying, the clay bricks were carefully laid on the limestone foundation wall. In just two days, the wall was high enough to begin building the roof. A few wooden slats and a tarpaulin were quickly assembled and placed on top of the dried wall. A rain test was carried out with a garden hose, and fortunately, the roof passed the test! The clay construction project received the seal of approval and was classified as "rainproof."

A housewarming party was a must! The clay house was officially opened with homemade lemonade and cake. Since then, the entire project has produced a film entitled "A Clay House in Our Garden" and an accompanying book, "The Construction of a Clay House." The house is now an integral part of the garden, offering children a place for imaginative role-playing, a retreat for quiet moments, and shelter from the wind and weather.

By the way: dismantling a clay house takes just a few hours! Remove the roof, pour water over the clay bricks, and the house disintegrates into its organic components. Right back into the earth from whence it came. The softened clay remains can be reused to build a new house or a sculpture.

Perhaps there is also space for a clay house in your garden? You can find support HERE .