Renovating a Chicken Farm with Strangers: Tias on Collective Building
Details
- Interviewee: Tias
- Community: Traditional Dream Factory
- Date: 2026-01-14
- Language: en
Summary
In this interview, Tias shares his experiences at TDF Workshop since arriving in February. He describes his role in building infrastructure, managing projects with volunteers, and fostering a sense of independence among participants. Highlighting the importance of collaboration and community, Tias discusses both recent achievements and plans for the future, including the renovation of an old chicken farm into a co-living space and a new restaurant that engages with outside visitors.
Tias emphasizes the need for support, both through volunteer efforts and financial contributions, to help execute their vision for a regenerative and collaborative project. He reflects on the challenges of working with different people and the importance of building strong relationships within the community. Tias feels a strong commitment to contributing positively to a project that aims for a sustainable future, moving beyond individualistic pursuits.
Key quotes
I wanted this energy to be able to serve my multiple goals and to, like, also allowing something to grow bigger than just money exchange.
The biggest challenge here is the same as everywhere else. It's people.
It's about the collective idea... Just make way more sense for me to put my energy into the collective rather than really individual system.
Transcript
**Speaker 1:** Let's start with what's your name and are we standing with now?
**Tias:** Okay, I have to focus once again. Okay. My name is Tias and you have, like, black hair. Yeah, yeah. Just light a fire. Yeah.
**Speaker 1:** Yeah. You can talk to me.
**Tias:** Okay.
**Speaker 1:** Yeah. So just like if I'm your name and most of.
**Tias:** My name is Tias, and we're standing here in the TDF workshop. So R is the space we are building, the furniture, the tools we need. Yeah. That's the place to work.
**Speaker 1:** Hello. Hello to you.
**Tias:** I arrived here in February this year. I began here with building residency. I spent one month building the new compost tank up there. So, yeah, it was a new building with full time toilets in it. And, I worked with over and Mika. We were the, permaculture designer slash, a garden team to design it in a way, it's, easier to manage the, transfer and and the cleaning and the maintenance of.
**Speaker 1:** It's not to like, you know, we're here for the moment.
**Tias:** So, mostly, I'm building stuff. It can be, a wide range of other stuff. It can be furniture. It can be a building like the mushroom farm, for example. Furniture, can be also art. Sometime when we have more space for that. And, also, I'm working with volunteer here. Also when I have space for that to, follow them in, into a learning process about, to create or to build what you need yourself, or to manage.
**Tias:** Also, you'll share, with, different tools we can use. How how to. Yeah, build trusts. Within yourself to be able to understand stuff and, Yeah, building up this kind of, independency, I would say. Yeah, that's my role here.
**Speaker 1:** Let me close this service just because of the mind. So do.
**Tias:** Like this.
**Speaker 1:** Yeah, exactly. So what's the plan like? What are you doing in the last six months? And what's the plan for the next six months?
**Tias:** So this year we built a lot of the way. So we have we have new toilets here. We also with a lot of volunteer and residents here, we built a new shower, beside, what's a temple? We built, a bunch of furniture for the cafe, a space for the, co-working space. Yeah. Who is leading the workshop with me as the in the build, deck, which is also our internship.
**Tias:** To, Yeah, we build the cafe rules. Yeah. What's been what's the.
**Speaker 1:** Plan for, like, for the next year?
**Tias:** The plan.
**Speaker 1:** So you're going to build and like. And why? I was doing a service.
**Tias:** So depends for the next year is to begin the construction phase of the, of renovating to the, already existing building. So we're going to, focus on the, co-living build space. So it's a huge building wall, which was, which used to be, chicken farm. And we're going to, split it in, 14 or 15 different room to be able to receive people and to accommodate, we're going to also focus, to moving the kitchen and build the new restaurant of TDF, that it's going to be open for outside people for, season.
**Tias:** And the rest of the time it's going to be the kitchen of the team. Yeah. So next tour is about the bigger the bigger picture, focus. And to really focus on the accommodation side and, concert also of the people that come here to stay.
**Speaker 1:** What do you need? What kind of post you need to make it happen?
**Tias:** I don't need to. My money. Yeah.
**Speaker 1:** Volunteers, whatever.
**Tias:** Yeah. To support this project. Yeah, we need people to to come and see, to get to know the projects. And that's about, the regenerative aspect of this project and also like what we are trying to, to build like in also bigger picture of only building, but also, like the relationship with nature, the relationship that, we build with each other also.
**Tias:** So it's super important for us that people come and see to understand and eventually support this project. In terms of, volunteer, building wise, it's not really needed that much because, we are working with a professional in this more, in this bigger phase. But we still need volunteers for sure. And, accommodation said for the garden team, I'm going for a three part of this project.
**Tias:** So volunteer. So welcome. Yeah.
**Speaker 1:** And on a more personal note, like, why did you come to,
**Tias:** I. Yeah, I came here, because I, wanted to find different way to use my energy, rather than just benefiting one person, making this person richer. I wanted this energy to be able to serve, my multiple goals and to, like, also allowing something to grow bigger than just, money exchange. So, yeah, this just I decided to stay here because I felt like, what's happening here, humanity wise?
**Tias:** And, relationship wise is very radical. And, yeah, I'm here to, to support this project because it's really rare also for me to feel okay. I'm really okay to support this, in terms of you, in terms of, humans and so I decided to stay because it makes sense for me to, to be part of the building of such a project, which I hope and I believe can be, very interesting alternative for future.
**Speaker 1:** And what is your biggest challenge here these days?
**Tias:** The biggest challenge here is the same as everywhere else. It's people. So, I think this space is also allowing us to face, this challenges and to try to find solutions to resolve conflicts, to, also work on communication and support each other. So it's both the biggest challenge and also one of the main reason I'm I'm here, it's because it makes sense.
**Tias:** Yeah.
**Speaker 1:** Boy, does it make sense.
**Tias:** It's it makes sense for me to be with people, to be helping people. And I think, like, everything I'm doing here is linking to many, individuals. So, yeah, it's about the collective idea, of. Yeah, I don't know. Sorry. I felt like I, I would have been prepared this very well if I had. Next time.
**Speaker 1:** You're doing good.
**Tias:** Yeah. Okay.
**Speaker 1:** So any questions?
**Tias:** I think you got it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I had something, yeah. This is it. Just make way more sense for me to put my energy into the collective rather than really individual system. So, yeah, that's also why I decided to to to stay here, to support the project, to be supported also because I also need the support sometimes.
**Tias:** So. Yeah, that's that's what this kind of project, this kind of place is also offering people you.