2015 – Adopt a House in its fourth year!

Dear supporters of the project Adopt a House in Roşia Montană,
Alburnus Maior Association and ARA (Architecture. Restoration. Archaeology) Association announce the commencement of works in the 2015 campaign of the programme Adopt a House in Roşia Montană. This is the 4^th year when we undertake together works for saving and restoring valuable historical buildings belonging to stable inhabitants and to the Roşia Montană community. Through these works we aim to contribute to protecting the exceptional local cultural values as well as to reactivating the specific social and economic relations of traditional architecture and, last but not least, to supporting the local community in Roşia Montană, who have had such hard times during the last years. The participation of volunteers in the traditional construction works also adds an important educational and training component to the other objectives of Adopt a House programme, mentioned above.
In the 2015 campaign, which will start in the first days of July, we will continue a number of works partly completed in previous years and will initiate the preparation works for the buildings newly introduced in the programme – particularly the Greek-Catholic church (1741).

Our programme activities will continue in the already known formula: volunteering campaigns organised in one- or two-week series, during which participants perform restoration works under the supervision and guidance of the craftsmen and specialists with whom we collaborate.

Starting this year, in addition to participants registered through the public call on the web platform, we will also have students from architecture and constructions universities in Iaşi, Cluj and Timişoara who will perform their practical training stages within the Adopt a House programme, based on agreements we concluded with the technical universities in the three cities, following the positive experiences of previous years.

The 2015 Campaign comprises 4 series of volunteering work, as follows:

• Series 1: 5 – 18 July/ students performing their practical stages and volunteers registered through the website www.adoptaocasa.ro
• Series 2: 18 July – 8 August / volunteers registered within the partnership with “Association pour la Participation et l’Action Régionale – Centre Méditerranéen de l’Environnement” (APARE, France) and volunteers registered through the website www.adoptaocasa.ro
• Series 3: 16 – 29 August/ students performing their practical stages and volunteers registered through the website www.adoptaocasa.ro
• Series 4: 30 August – 12 September/ students performing their practical stages and volunteers registered through the website www.adoptaocasa.ro

Volunteers may register by e-mail at voluntariat@adoptaocasa.ro or by phone at 0743.677.543 (Andreea). For the general conditions related to transport, accommodation and catering please see our website.
This year’s Adopt a House campaign will continue the works started in previous years and will also initiate the documentation, design and permitting for the newly introduced sites. Part of these works will be covered this year from the grant received by Alburnus Maior from the Union of Architects in Romania, who have provided financial support to Adopt a House programme since its commencement in 2012. In addition starting with this campaign we also enjoy the contribution of the Order of Architects in Romania who support the Adopt a House programme through a grant offered to ARA Association. The two grants will cover the performance of specialised studies for the most complex of the new projects – the Greek-Catholic church in Roşia Montană – and the purchase of necessary materials for the educational and demonstrative volunteering workshops provided in the programme.

To learn more about the projects included in the programme you can see the page of each building, the description of activities and the associated costs on www.adoptaocasa.ro. Although the financial needs of our programme are much higher than the current funding received, we are confident we will succeed to continue our activity this year through the involvement of the programme supporters. You can contribute to the project development through individual donations by bank transfer or directly by PayPal into the account of Alburnus Maior association dedicated exclusively to Adopt a House programme.

Thank you and we are waiting for you at Roşia Montană!
Adopt a House team.

Roşia Montană,
15 June 2015