top of page
Harford Manor School, Norwich Outdoor Classroom, 2015
This 6.3m hempcrete roundhouse with roundpole porchway, brought us back to Norwich to a special needs school where the theme took on all things dragon. During a series of cob building workshops with the pupils they helped with the beginning stages of an interior cob bench which evolved into the friendly sleeping ‘Reginald’ the dragon and later a natural paints workshop to add handprint leaves to a tree mural. A timber frame supported a yurt style roof and wildflower living roof and the walls were infilled with hempcrete. An additional room housed a toilet and washing facilities.
St. Cleopas School, Liverpool
Outdoor Classroom, 2011
Located in Toxteth with views to the Mersey, inspired a nautical theme for this 6.3m cob roundhouse. A similar process was employed for this project as Arden Grove and included educational workshops and an education pack. Local artists were invited to create various marine related features within the build from a seafaring door for the oven, sculpted windows and doors and another artist led a carving workshop for the cruck frame entrance, all of which incorporated designs done by the pupils and their parents.
The design of this roundhouse included electric and plumbing with an addition of a disabled access toilet and washing facilities. The cob oven became the star of the show as ‘Ophelia’ the octopus was born.
Arden Grove Infant & Primary School, Norwich
Outdoor Classroom, 2011
The project involved building a 6.3m cob and strawbale roundhouse to be used as an outdoor classroom. It was to provide a starting point for the school to meet before exploring the outside environment and to undertake art and design activities. The building is an educational piece in its own right, to teach and raise awareness about the value of natural building, providing a unique experience and space for those who use it.
Prior to the start of the project we provided the school with an education pack which included activities that linked to different aspects of the National Curriculum and helping familiarise the pupils with different natural building processes. A series of educational workshops were delivered during the course of the project working with all the pupils in the school where they got involved with some of the design process and building a sculptural bench, oven and some of the lower walls of the roundhouse. Their parents were also invited to take part with their children in some workshops after school hours. There was no electric or plumbing included in this roundhouse.
WWT Washington,
Saline Lagoon Bird Hide, 2015/2016
Nestled right by the River Wear this 9m dodecagon shaped timber frame building clad in larch boards and supporting a reciprocal frame and sedum living roof is now home for bird enthusiasts to sit and enjoy the delights of the local flora and fauna of the 24 acre nature reserve. It looks out onto a newly developed saline lagoon that is home to a variety of wildlife, including breeding oystercatchers and Eurasian otters.
Roundhouse Projects
bottom of page