NATALEI ECO LODGE

ABOUT

The Natalei Eco Village project is a collaboration between the community-owned Natalei Eco Lodge and CAUKIN Studio, delivering a traditionally inspired bure to support the lodge’s continued growth. Established by the people of Nataleira Village in Tailevu Province, Viti Levu, the lodge is a member of the Duavata Sustainable Tourism Collective and is recognised for its commitment to sustainability, cultural heritage, and community resilience. The project involves the design and construction of a single bure, a multifunctional structure rooted in Fijian vernacular building tradition, using locally sourced materials, on- site sawn timber, and climate-responsive techniques suited to the tropical environment.

The Timber Mill

All of the timber used to construct the Bure came from Rain trees growing in the villages surrounding jungle. The scale of these trees, and the inaccessibility of them, was extraordinary.

We travelled five minutes along the coast by local boat, until we found the small opening in the trees. There we trekked barefoot into the jungle, and carried the incredibly heavy planks back by hand. This was repeated tree by tree, journey after journey, taking us deeper into the forest.

IBE

There are a few woman in the village that were exceptionally talented at weaving Ibe, large mats that were used throughout the village. They are made from Voi Voi a local plant that is boiled, cooked and then dried for four days. This was used as the final touch for our Bure