WeWilder, the First Rural Eco-Hub Opened at the Foot of the Țarcu Mountains

Updated on 6 April 2023: WWF Romania opened the WeWilder Campus, a rural hub built entirely of wood and with the help of the latest technologies, under the sign of sustainability. The campus is located in the proximity of Armeniș, in the most forested county of Romania, Caraș-Severin, the place where 8 years ago the first bison were released in the partnership between WWF, Rewilding Europe and Armeniș City Hall. In a 1.5h orchard, the campus will be the starting point for nature exploration experiences and will host meetings for teams in search of ideas for the future, in close collaboration with the local community.

The campus consists of a main building, named Zâna / Fairy, and three tiny-house cottages. Zana’s shape is inspired from the traditional shed and boasts a large glass wall overlooking the hills of Armeniș. It is covered by 17,600 shingles made by hand by traditional craftsmen, the Popa family from Albac, and by 140 sqm of heat-treated and oiled beech pannels, a material rarely used in exterior finishes, but representative of Caraș “beech country”, made by Tecade.

Inside Zâna there is a multi-purpose room intended for meetings, collaboration and serving meals. In the attic there is a library, a place to relax, with volumes on Ecology, food and sustainable construction curated by the greenest publishing house in Romania, Seneca. The ensemble has a community kitchen, with the role of creating products from local organic ingredients.

WeWilder will operate as an eco-tourism agency for immersive nature experiences and host transformational programs for organizations and teams on campus, an opportunity to connect as many of the local hospitality services as possible. The campus can be reserved for co-working or gastronomic events and individual vacations.

Each cottage is oriented towards a cardinal point to benefit from different light and landscape experiences: the Țarcu Mountains, the small-scale agricultural landscape of Armeniș or the hills with meadows and orchards. The cottages have a glass curtain wall, and inside, the “transformer” sofas allow a double or matrimonial room configuration, depending on the guests. The sanitary installations are designed to consume an optimal volume of water, and the thermal insulation allows a consumption minimal for heating in winter or cooling in summer. They are covered with shingles to respect the traditional culture and to be able to disappear into the landscape over time, according to the idea of ​​”invisible architecture” to which the Campus subscribes.

The design was made through a co-creation process, in which the architects Matius Ichim, Krisztina Bokos, Miodrag Stoianov, the urban planner specializing in wooden constructions, Ioan Moldovan, Oana Mondoc and Alina Floroi from the WWF team who coordinated this project participated daylight, worked along dozens of locals and experts from companies that want to increase sustainable architecture in Romania. Atelier Vast and the coordinator Vlad Rebenciuc made the wooden furniture and a large part of the finishing operations which were the most challenging stage for design & build projects.

Besides using wood in as many forms as possible – structure, coverings, thermal insulation, carpentry and interiors, the campus concept cultivates the inclusion of locally sourced design, such as the wool lamps made by For, the burnt wooden plates handmade by Lun or Email by Sighisoara, linen sheets woven in Romania at deFlorian and other carefully selected products, such as natural cosmetics from Doda, artisanal wines from Catleya, locally roasted coffee from Medina Coffee Roasters or craft beer from Bereta and OneTwo – to bring concrete in this region, often abstract ideas such as the circular economy or supporting small producers.

The red design thread of the interiors conceived by Krisztina Bokos involves discreet black lines that emphasize the wooden surfaces and optimistic accents of yellow, which can be found on the table legs, the upstairs railing, the swinging staircase to the library and the botanical-themed mural made by the artist Wanda Hutira. Through a soft opening in September, the Campus has already hosted the meeting of innovation leaders from 10 global NGOs, who reflected that “the experience was unforgettable. Surrounded by nature, we were able to communicate with each other as a team to generate the best ideas, and the attention to detail and the involvement of the locals in the activities here is amazing”.

“333 people worked to build the campus. Some are from Armeniș, some came from Bucharest, Iași or Sighetul Marmației, even from other countries and faced the heat of summer, the rains of autumn and the surrounding clay to get here today. WeWilder is the testimony that each of us, from civil society and nature conservation organizations, authorities or companies who want to leave a legacy of a healthy planet for future generations, must innovate but also roll up their sleeves for ideals that are often on the paper. We are confident that through this nest we can multiply the benefits of nature for community members and future generations in Armeniș commune and in the region,says Oana Mondoc, project initiator and WWF Innovation and Community Development Manager.

Those who helped build the campus celebrated the opening under an October sun with e-bike rides, an animal track discovery workshop and brunch prepared by locals. Saturday evening culminated with an innovative musical project in partnership with the Centrul Cultural Subcarpati, where the artist Radu Pieloiu, known as Acetobă, composed music by integrating the sounds of nature recorded with the bio-acoustician Tom Hull from the Wildlife Sanctuary and the ecologist Pepjin T’Hooft.

WWF has taken a big step outside its comfort zone to co-create an alternative and green micro-economy around the free-ranging bison, working with community members. Only by involving everyone can we have a long-term impact and form mindsets where conservation work is part of the identity of local communities. The collaborative model and with care for nature at every step – whether in construction or how the meal is served, we will take it further to other areas in Romania and beyond,” said Orieta Hulea, CEO of WWF Romania.

WeWilder was built by WWF Romania and was started thanks to a funding of USD 200,000 and the support of the Flex Foundation. The investment amounted to approximately EUR 350.000, part of which was provided by WWF, part by an investment from Rewilding Europe Capital, and a significant percentage was provided by private companies.

Video 

The strive and the story of building the WeWilder Campus in a mountain village in Romania, by 333 people and companies, is illustrated in the short documentary produced by the Frame Dudes. They captured in a visually compelling manner the relationship between all those who contributed to creating a place where change for the better and development together with nature is possible along with the locals.

The Frame Dudes team of videographers comprises of Matei Pleșa, director, the creator of the "Fascination of craft" series, Raul Stan, video editor, and director of photography, with a rich portfolio of documentaries and Vlad Braga, photographer, passionate about storytelling at the intersection of light
and music.

About WeWilder

WeWilder is the green economy arm of  WWF Romania in the Bison Hillock - Armeniș, and its purpose is to create benefits that come from nature for the locals and to become an example for other biodiversity reach areas. WeWilder is an umbrella for knowledge about how to build and live sustainably, in balance with nature. 

Learn more at www.wewilder.com or contact:

Oana Mondoc, WeWilder Coordinator, WWF Innovation and Local Development Manager, omondoc@wwf.ro, +40 721 819 595
Alina Floroi, Coordonator Operațional și Comunicare, WeWilder Operations and Culture Coordinator, afloroi@wwf.ro, +40 722 619 960

© Vlad Braga

 

Despre WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature):

WWF România este una dintre cele mai importante organizații specializată în conservarea mediului. De peste 15 ani, WWF România își propune să oprească degradarea naturii și să protejeze biodiversitatea. Astfel, WWF România participă activ la conservarea planetei, la restaurarea ecologică a mediului natural și construiește un viitor în care oamenii trăiesc și se dezvoltă în armonie cu natura. Misiunea WWF este implementată prin programe de policy și conservare a naturii, consolidarea capacității publice de a acționa în probleme de mediu și prin advocacy față de companii pentru a reduce amprenta de carbon. Zonele de conservare prioritare ale organizației sunt Maramureș, Transilvania, Sud Vestul Carpaților, Apuseni, Lunca și Delta Dunării. WWF România face parte din WWF International, existent de peste 60 de ani, în peste 100 de țări, pe 6 continente. Mai multe informații aici: wwf.ro

© Vlad Braga

© Vlad Braga

© Vlad Braga

© Marius Vasile

© Vlad Braga