I share my letter with some in Lithuania who might be interested in our
Minciu Sodas laboratory http://www.ms.lt and our worknet on Ethical
Design (and ecological architecture)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ethicaldesign/ led by architect James
Ferguson of Vilnius. And I invite us to share more information and I
will also alert our group in Lithuanian
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Minciu_Sodas_LT/

James,

I collected some websites for you below on sustainable architecture in
Lithuania. Most of them are in Lithuanian. But perhaps they might lead
to contacts in the future.

Andrius Kulikauskas
ms@...
http://www.ms.lt

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Vilija Bortkeviciene is the Thoreau of Lithuania's ecovillage movement.
She's an architect who moved, in stages, from the city to the
countryside. She's a wonderfully inspirational writer (in Lithuanian).
Unfortunately, she's not comfortable working in the Public Domain, which
is why we can't work together more than we do. I recommend her website
http://www.mesjaugyvename.lt/view.php as readings that might resonate in
Lithuania. She has designed and her friend has built an ecological
house handmade of clay and shaped like a snail. Here is a page in
Lithuanian with their views on construction, including the clay house
http://www.ekosodyba.lt/view.php?id=113 They all live in the village of
Strazdai not far from Kernave. Vilija bought an old house in that
village and next to it built a schoolhouse. She used straw thatching.
Vilija is quite inspired by her brother Kestas Augutis who was a
computer-literate hermit who also had a significant impact on the
founding of Minciu Sodas. Unfortunately, he died in 1998 when he was
struck by a car while riding his bike.

Vilija helped organize a group of people who have bought some land
nearby where they will build a new settlement called Krunai
http://www.ekosodyba.lt/view.php The principle is that each family
should have roughly a hectare of land but that they would live close
enough together for a community. The idea is to live modestly but
self-sufficiently from that land. They have founded Lietuvos ekologinių
sodybų asociacija (Ecological homestead association of Lithuania)
http://www.ekosodyba.lt

They are informed by the Anastasija movement http://www.anastasija.lt
based on the novels (such as "Ringing Cedars") and vision of Russian
writer V Megre about a Siberian nature mystic Anastasija. See:
http://www.ringingcedars.com However, they are finding their own way.

At the Anastasija site are some links to related businesses:
http://www.bustas.lt/index_d.html
http://stropuva.lt/en/ household boiler for solid fuel (in English)
http://ekokodas.ten.lt/ geothermal heat pump
http://www.lapponiahouse.com/www/en/index.php Finnish pine houses (in
English)
http://www.nvkz.kuzbass.net/anastasia/32/23november2001-anastasia.htm
building houses from Earth (in Russian)
http://www.log-house-masters.com/ hand-crafted log house builders (in
English)
http://www.russianloghouse.com/english.htm Russian log house (in English)
http://ekostogas.projektas.lt/ Grass roofs (in Lithuanian)

The last project "ekostogas" includes photos:
http://ekostogas.projektas.lt/foto.html
It quotes the Lithuanian philosopher Vydunas that roofs of live grass
knew of such in Prussia but also learned of one near Pastuva near
Kaunas. There are instructions on construction:
http://ekostogas.projektas.lt/konstrukcija.html
And there's a list of articles in the press:
http://ekostogas.projektas.lt/spaudoje.html with some authors who might
know more:Arūnas Čekanavičius, Tadas Antaniūnas, Vincas Gurskis and
Jonas Juodis of Lietuvos žemės ūkio universitetas, Kastytis Stumbrys,
Kristina Zavjalova.
and links:
http://ekostogas.projektas.lt/links.html

Jonas Juodis and Feliksas Mikuckis wrote "The Research on Building
Characteristic of Pressed Loamy Soil"
http://www.waterland.lt/leidinys_en/volumes/t12_en.htm
During construction period (arranging foundation, basement, etc.) much
soil is excavated. This soil is not favourable for growing agricultural
crops. Therefore it is taken to dumps or other places and it pollutes
environment. While pressing this soil it is possible to produce blocks,
bricks or other articles which can serve for various purposes of certain
building constructions.
On the other hand such usage of this soil would lower prices of building
constructions what is very urgent at present, especially in rural areas.

There is a book "Clay house, wood tile roof": Molio namas, skiedrų
stogas / Vincas Gurskis, Jonas Juodis, Dainius Ramukevičius. - Kaunas :
Ūkininko patarėjas, 2004-2005 [i.e. 2005] (Kaunas : Spindulys). - 62,
[2] p. : iliustr. - ("Meisterio" knygynėlis ; knygelė 40). - Tiražas
3000 egz. - ISBN 9955-416-89-0
http://www.eknygynas.lt/catalog/?view=thumbs&filter_field=item_author&filter_val\
ue=VINCAS%20GURSKIS

There is also a book "Individualūs gyvenamieji namai" (Individual
residences) by architect (and rock star) Algirdas Kaušpėdas and Vilija
Ulozaitė. http://www.eknygynas.lt/catalog/?view=item&itemid=41421 and
there is a section of books on technology and/or construction.

The "ekoblogas" (ecoblog) is a sort of WorldChanging.org
http://ekoblogas.wordpress.com
here are some perhaps relevant articles:
http://ekoblogas.wordpress.com/2007/04/17/vejo-parkai-fermos-lietuvoje/
a 15 windmill wind farm in Kretinga

And here's a blog on strawbale houses in Lithuania and a post about
Gavin Harper with a photo! and four photos of the strawbale houses he
visited here.
http://blogas.lt/SiauduNamai/243217/siaudu-namu-nuotraukos-gavin-harper.html
And here's a picture from that site of a sauna in Belarus made of strawbale:
http://siaudunamai.lt/img/img-1172572509.JPG and a post on strawbale
houses in Belarus:
http://blogas.lt/SiauduNamai/209308/siaudu-namai-baltarusijoje.html

This is just a great photo and post about a straw house in the UK that
burned down - all except the straw walls, that is, which don't burn.
http://blogas.lt/SiauduNamai/220962/po-gaisro-liko-stoveti-tik-siaudines-sienos.\
html

Here's a website of architect Petras Devižis
http://uzutekis.voriukai.net/
who built this pressed straw house:
http://blogas.lt/SiauduNamai/154006/presuotu-siaudu-namas-prie-vilniaus.html
He also writes about his wood furnace:
http://uzutekis.voriukai.net/krosnis.html
Straw house in Taraldis village:
http://uzutekis.voriukai.net/index2.html
Here is a building built in Baltalaukis:
http://uzutekis.voriukai.net/index1.html

http://www.sodyba.org about homesteads is lead by
Algirdas, Laimis Žmuida and Saulius Jasionis
http://www.sodyba.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=2
It has a post on a compost toilet built by Algirdas Katilevičius
http://www.sodyba.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=19
There is a tag for "architecture" which yields these posts:
http://www.sodyba.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=4&Itemid=\
15
There is a simple but very efficent wood furnace by Piotras who lives
near Pabrades
http://www.sodyba.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=15
that keep the house warm for two or three weeks at a time.
And an article about Jonas Jaravičius about his clay houses:
http://www.sodyba.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=15
An interview with Domantas Surkis about his strawbale house:
http://www.sodyba.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11&Itemid=15
And one with Jonas Kačerauskas about this strawbale house:
http://www.sodyba.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7&Itemid=15

Our Minciu Sodas participant Saulius Sakalas in Dzukija makes ecological
quality wooden roof tiles:
http://marcinkonys.infoseka.lt/skiedros.htm
and he also renovates cottages.

Another participant Algirdas Juškevičius in Varėna makes furniture from
local materials, namely, the roots of trees:
http://www.gamtosbaldai.net
and he has links to Lithuanian woodcarvers:
http://www.gamtosbaldai.net/draugai.html
He leads the Varėna turism and business information center:
http://www.varenainfo.net

There is a company Edvima in Varėna that has built more than 300
traditional wooden houses:
http://www.edvima.lt/about.html
They also make wooden roof tiles and ecological fuel (from wood chips)
for urban boilers.
More pictures here: http://www.edvima.lt/pastatai.html
and frequently asked questions: http://www.edvima.lt/duk.html

Just a site a found on bicycle couriers in Lithuania:
http://www.velo.lt/lt/paslaugos_lt.htm

Some more websites I'm just noting in passing: http://www.zvejone.lt,
http://www.sanga.lt, http://www.organic.lt/lt/, http://www.zalieji.lt

Plazi of AfroBand is originally from Togo and is deservedly popular here
in Lithuania.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4723268.stm
In Togo he worked for an NGO to construct housing for people. We spoke
last year that he might help us with an architecture laboratory here in
Lithuania but I need to catch up with him.

Andrius

Andrius Kulikauskas
Minciu Sodas
http://www.ms.lt
ms@...