Àreu Revives Dry Stone Technique with Practical Course

The training, held in Àreu, Alins, aims to preserve an ancestral craft and its contribution to the landscape.

Generic image of hands building a dry stone wall in a mountainous setting.
IA

Generic image of hands building a dry stone wall in a mountainous setting.

The village of Àreu, in the municipality of Alins, will host a practical course to revive the traditional dry stone technique for building and maintaining mountain paths.

This initiative, taking place the week of May 18 to 22, aims to highlight an ancestral craft that has shaped the landscape for centuries. The dry stone technique is regaining prominence in construction due to its sustainability and environmental respect.
To make this training possible, the maintenance service of the Alt Pirineu Natural Park has been transporting stone and improving the path platform of the Volta d'Àreu, in the Vall Ferrea. The material transfer required the use of a helicopter, with the support of the Rural Agents' Air Unit, highlighting the logistical complexity of the preparation.
The course is organized by the Voltes Architecture Cooperative and the Orígens Taller de Bioconstrucció School, and is supported by IDAPA, the Alt Pirineu Natural Park, and the Poctefa project. The training will combine theoretical sessions with intensive practical work, where participants will learn to identify and classify stones according to their function and shape, use basic dry stone masonry tools, and properly prepare the ground for construction.