In English, German and in Dutch it means I hear you / I agree / I remember ( a ya! / ah ja! )

In Albanien aya means come

In Babylonian it means Mother of all things.

In Japan it is a female name, meaning colorful or beautiful

In Arabic wonderful, amazing, miracle or verse

In Mongolian goodness, music or melody

In Urdu it means caretaker 

Good soul in Turkish-Altaic mythology

And Egyptian goddess of beauty, good deeds and charm

Nature centre and eco-village AyA is a place where you come back to your nature. The main building Gaïa and the houses are built in a sustainable, artistically bionic way. It looks like and blends in with nature, inside and out. Everything is surrounded by a food forest, natural swimming pool, play forest and permaculture gardens. Collaboration between man and nature is the theme. We live and work together in nature. We produce a lot of our own food and have a shop with sustainable and organic products. We produce our own electricity with different methods. Water is purified and reused. This and the food forest bring balance to the water management, which ensures a better groundwater level and less demand for energy-consuming methods. There will be better CO2 storage and less soil erosion.

Producing your own food in a food forest has labor-intensive aspects. Building, maintaining and harvesting. This labor will come from interns, workshops, events, exchanges and with your own sweat. Advantages are: Healthy food, collaboration in a healthy environment, less transport costs, better biodiversity and soil.

The village contains rental houses and recreation & relaxation houses. Permanent residents live in the rented houses and in the other homes holidaymakers live in the high season and those in need of care in the low season. There is a camping area where everyone is welcome.

The buildings are designed by Ayanen with the help of an architect and artists. Each home is unique, but has 1 basic frame on which you can go wild with sustainable technologies and creations.

Nature center with new living concepts
There are different living concepts that people like. But (old) strict building regulations made it very difficult to live your own way. Fortunately, many initiatives have been tested and approved in various municipalities in recent years. The authorities are open to innovation, sustainability and individual participation. More and more people are in talks with the municipality, province and government to give people more freedom in building and placing their home. The majority are enthusiastic. Fortunately and logically.

Aya is ideal for testing new housing concepts and it fits perfectly with the growing group of people with ecological, sustainable and self-sufficient housing needs. Local organic food production and collaboration with nature is natural.

Homes: 16 Sustainable eco homes, 4 tiny houses, 4 yurts

Land:

Native nature
Food forest
Permaculture food garden
Medicinal gardens
Food for grazing livestock
Relaxation areas
Lawn for animals and events
Buildings

Benefits:

Harmonize (with each other and with nature)
Innovation
Durability
Social development
Safety and no crime
Self-sufficient
Against loneliness
Educational
Recreational
Maintenance of the site
Characterizing
Promising
Example function
Stimulating collaboration with nature
Excellent platform to carry out controlled, subsidized and recorded pilot projects.

Pilot project: Our Nature

By means of Collaboration with schools and universities examine the effect of living with nature, on our health and what effect we have on nature.
Solving acidification and soil pollution;
Improve groundwater management;
Increase biodiversity;
Prevent erosion;
Improve flora and fauna. Can be recognized by more insects, birds, mushrooms, types of plants and trees, groundwater level and better soil composition.

Have people become happier and wiser and by what means?

Has society been strengthened?

Do people have more energy?

What effect does this personal enrichment have on society? Better integration, multicultural cooperation, togetherness and identity.

Can one counteract isolation by means of cooperation with and in nature?

What is the economic effect?

Is there less need for social institutions?

Are there fewer health complaints?

Important questions with interesting answers for us and all generations after us. The main goal is not efficiency, but sustainable happiness and health for all nature. This can be applied all over the world, listen to our nature.

Innovation and sustainability
Various living arrangements will be tested in the eco-village. Each type of home will have a different effect. Energy consumption, degree of self-sufficiency, building materials used, ecological footprint, effect on residents. In order to properly map this out, an investigation will take place, held by an official institution in approval with all parties so that there is a professional overview of the results that others can also use.

Aya’s ideal is to bring people and nature together by working together in a permaculture environment and food forest with meetings, courses, tours, events, all types of healing and small sustainable houses. Every decision will be made through the eyes of nature.

Gaïa – main building
Natural healing and growth center

Connecting our hearts with each other and our nature. A nature center for recovery and growth by means of nutrition, sound and movement in and with the elements, education, being together and by bringing all types of healing together.

The main building offers space for workshops, courses, dancing, singing, making music, performances, ceremonies, meetings, markets, gatherings and specialists (doctors of all kinds).

The facilities
Main hall
Shop
Practice rooms
Restaurant
Star hotel room
Workplace
Sauna and plunge pools
Day-care

 

Activities in and around Gaïa
Talks
demonstrations
Exhibitions
Concerts
Markets
Green work
Take care of animals
Yoga, Chi Gong, Thai Chi etc.
Fire gatherings
Multicultural dining days
Sweat lodge
Sound therapy
Sauna
Celebrate
Firewalking
Archery
Day-care
Play days for children
Spiritual gatherings

Workshops:
Natuurlijke bouwmaterialen
Plant identificatie
Permacultuur
Kruiden en olie ( Fermenteren etc )
Natuur medicatie ( ook ceremonies )
Ademhaling Wetenschap
Massage
‘Alternatieve’ geneeswijzen
Hout bewerken
Koken
Instrumenten maken
Rondleidingen

Necessities 

• Core team;
• Inhabitants;
• Employers and employees;
• About 15 hectare of land, preferrably near running water, away from heavy traffic, sound and air pollution;
• Main building;
• Sanitation;
• Water connection;
• Power (solar panels, gravity floors, wind, ground heat, collection by campfires, hydrogen, fitness, new techniques such as with bacteria);
• Vans (on alternative energy);
• Trailers;
• Tools;
• Plan for landscaping;
• Animals and facilities

 

Buildings

Ecovillage & Nature Center AyA has the theme nature. Aya has ecologically responsible buildings that blend aesthetically into nature.

When we are outside we relax, when we are in nature we see a constantly changing landscape. The shapes are organic and never really identical. Nature stimulates our body and mind by stimulating the senses and by experiencing much change and duality in all forms.

Most buildings are built with efficiency in mind. Build as quickly as possible with materials that can be produced cheaply and quickly. Without taking into account what footprint this leaves on the Earth. Getting stuff from China over in diesel-guzzling ships. Concrete and insulation material with harmful products.

This is not only harmful to nature, but also to us, because we are nature. The shapes used are square and the steel, walls and gray, monotone colors are predominant. This creates the feeling of being monotonous. And by nature we are not. We love a huge diversity in colors and shapes that are in motion while we are in motion.

Other buildings:

Greenhouse
Work shed
Small warehouse
Play area

Extra

By learning, singing, sharing, living and working together in a natural and inspiring environment, stress will decrease and (self) love will grow.

Studies have proven that in nature its stress decreases, is good for the immune system and increases connection with our world.

Aya compliments this by letting people work together in an eco-village with a nature center.

The homes offer space for full and part-time residency and also serve as pilot projects for techniques and ways of living and healing that promote collaboration with nature and ourselves.