European Comission and Europa Nostra announced the winners of the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2024. Among them is the group “Buluki” – Traveling Workshop for Traditional Building Techniques (Greece), which is honored overall for its exemplary work in the category “Education, Training & Skills”. Buluki is an innovative non-profit organization that combines practical training in traditional building arts with real projects, aiming to integrate traditional knowledge into modern building.

Buluki is a collective of architects, engineers and heritage scholars. Its aim is to revive traditional knowledge about building techniques and materials. Its vision is to develop a new building culture in Greece and internationally, drawing strongly from traditional knowledge and aiming at a modern, sustainable building.

Since its establishment in 2018, Buluki has been active around four axes: education, research, practice and public dialogue. It is the only non-profit organization in Greece to date that designs and implements vocational apprenticeships, which combine rehabilitation projects with technical training. Drawing inspiration from the example of the old craftsmen, Buluki travels around Greece organizing participatory and educational projects that draw strongly from the specific characteristics of each place.

Today, Buluki is developing the first research and training centre on traditional building arts in the mountainous region of Epirus, in the building of an old primary school provided by the local authorities.

“Buluki’s work is based on a strong system of social, environmental and economic values. It promotes social cohesion by connecting people of different ages and backgrounds, advocates the use of local materials and supports the conservation of the built and natural environment. Buluki sets a strong example for future restoration projects, highlighting the transformative power of heritage in promoting sustainable development,” the committee said.

More Information: Panos Kostoulas, Buluki “Travelling Workshop on Traditional Building Techniques” [email protected] | www.boulouki.org

Photo Credits: Yorgos Kyvernitis, Valentina Vagena