A Residential Centre in Germany for the Future-Minded
The Seminar Centre of Palette M, an educational charity, is located in a rural
area in the western part of Germany, and was specifically established to support
projects and researches across a range of various arts and skills, nationally
and internationally, in a pursuit of establishing new concepts and templates
for various areas of life. Part of the vision that brought this centre into
reality was the wish to create a supportive environment for gatherings, where
people could meet to develop and further their projects. Three volunteers of
Palette M tell the promising story of its founding and development to date.
The Concept
In
1998, a group of friends from various professions and skills met over a long
weekend renting a small house in the countryside. They were able to identify
a need for various projects - ranging from science and music to human development
- to have a place where they could gather to exchange and further their work.
They felt that this needed an ecology which allowed a continuous process, a
residential facility where people could meet for a whole weekend, a week or
longer, similar to the house they were renting but larger and with a more specific
design. The idea of purchasing a suitable place was born.
The Realisation
The
idea for this facility was presented to other friends, and whilst some started
to search for a place, others started to write a constitution for a society
which was then registered as Palette M. The financing of this facility came
from members' donations and fundraising, and most members offered their time
to help with the renovation. In April 1999, a former hotel in the area called
Westerwald was bought with the support of the local authority.
Thus began 12 months of hard work, with assistance from all parts of the network,
converting an empty building into a well-designed and equipped seminar facility
with 90% of the work completed by volunteer labour.
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When the house was bought, half of it (600 sqm) was a shell,
without electricity, heating, windows, inside walls, or a cement flooring.
90% of all this work was done by members volunteering their skills, time,
money and efforts. |
The Facility in Use
After the main building work was finished, the centre began to be used for
local and international gatherings and seminars. Because of the many different
and varied activities, the centre needed rooms designed to support this range,
from musical workshops to philosophical forums, from dance and movement to children's
education.
The challenge of designing this centre prompted questions such as: How do you
design a room which supports mental focus and intensity? Or a room that supports
rest and regeneration? Which plants in the house or garden create an atmosphere
compatible with the purpose of the centre? Which colours, forms, materials,
arrangements? These researches and developments continue today, with good practical
results.
The First Events
Over the course of the last year, alongside continuous local events, the Seminar
Centre in Germany has supported public workshops on stress management, quality
improvement in life, as well as international workshops for women, musical gatherings,
art and design workshops, educational seminars and more.
We are proud of this new facility and grateful to all those who have played
a part in its creation.
Sabine and Thomas Bexte and Claudia Schubert,
Management Team for the Seminar Centre, Rodenbach, Germany.
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