Page 27 - C.A.L.L. #22 - Fall 2003

There are many good artists and craftsmen living in Sesselja House is Iceland’s first Eco-centre' and
So lheimar. In the building Ingustofa, there is an
exhibition hall, which is a venue for art
exhibitions. During summer there are summer
exhibitions focusing on the work of one of the
artistic workshops. During winter there are
individual exhibitions focusing on the work of one of
the many resident artists.
So lheimar has many different workplaces where
people with special needs work alongside those
without special needs. This variety of opportunities
for work, in particular in creative employment, is
unique in Iceland. Some of the workplaces are run
by So lheimar Day Services, and there are four
independent com panies. Five international
volunteers assist in the workplaces when needed.
There is an art workshop, ceramics, a weavery, a
soap factory, a candle factory, a wood workshop, an
organic tree nursery and reforestation centre,
organic horticulture and farming,
a hotel, cafe and restaurant, a
general store and crafts shop, a
maintenance department,
cleaning, telephone and postal
services.
So lheimar is blessed by a hot
spring that generates near boiling
water at prodigious rates—12-15 gallons per second.
This is more than adequate to provide central
heating, a wonderfully warm swimming pool with
hot tub and hot water and to supply a large number
of greenhouses that grow vegetables and nursery trees
year-round.
Over the last 15
years various
environmentally
friendly
buildings have
been constructed
at So lheimar. Sesselja House is by far the largest
and most challenging project undertaken so far.
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opened in 2002. The building was named in honour
of Sesselja on the occasion of the 100th anniversary
of her birth (she died in 1974). Sesselja House Eco-
centre is run by Brekkukot Travel Services and hosts
conferences, meetings, and environment-related
courses within a
showcase of green
technology. The
interior theatre seats
100, and exhibition
halls, smaller
conference rooms and
offices are all wired for Internet, sound and
projection capabilities. The building is 100 percent
PVC-free, uses a variety of exterior natural
insulation materials, employs driftwood for interior
panelling and trim, is thoroughly earthquake-
resistant, uses recycled tyre rubber for floorboards,
uses sustainably-harvested timber products for
trusses, minimises use of cement by substituting
rammed earth, has a wet
composting toilet, employs energy-
efficient lighting, earth-chilled
and geothermal-warmed air
circulation and heat recovery, solar
photovolta and geothermal
electricity and several novel
features not seen before.
The So lheimar community is self-sufficient, and
has both worldly and spiritual aims. The core idea is
to create a harmony of tradition with new
technologies that responsibly utilise natural
resources, thereby handing over to future generations
a planet in balance with itself that can provide the
same opportunities for individual and communal
self-fulfilment. Self-sufficient communities such as
So lheimar are leaders in discovering natural
solutions to environmental problems facing the world
today. We did not inherit the earth from our
ancestors; we borrowed it from our children.
You can contact Anna at anna@solheimar.is