The Auerworld Palace was erected in the spring of 1998 by 300 volunteers from all over the world, directed by Swiss-born architect Marcel Kalberer and assisted by builders and artists of the building group Sanfte Strukturen, who guided the construction process. He is one of many architects who provide ecological aspect and sustainable development in his design. The way it was planted expresses the potential energies that can be mobilized in a community-oriented natural building process.

Three-to-five-year-old willows, the only construction material used, were planted, bound and interwoven into a large dome building. The young trees will continue to grow and will eventually fill in the gaps, covering the structure with leaves and creating a sheltered interior. The pattern of trunks resembles a rough vaulted arch structure, creating a bizarre overlapping of the natural and the highly designed. Kalberer works in building on nature’s own terms, observing its laws and forms of growth.

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