Jason has been keeping his weekends and evenings busy helping to thatch the new round house at Winkleigh Primary school. The round house timber structure has been up for a while but the school was struggling to source funds to pay for the roof. Local master thatcher Rob Wilmot of Devon Thatching (http://www.devonthatching.com) then kindly stepped giving up his free time to kindly show us all how to go about it which ended up being a crash course in thatching. There was quite a bit of work to do so its not finished yet, so watch this space for the finished job, we think the kids are going to love it. Also thanks to Tristan Johnson for supplying the thatch.
G&S have a history with the school as we designed the classroom for the future there which stands to the rear of the school. The classroom was designed to be as sustainable as possible. As with the thatch round house all materials used were natural based with sustainably sourced oak cladding and oak framed triple glazing, insulation was made of word fibre and internal materials were natural woods. We like to take the lessons from yesteryear where buildings were made with natural materials and use them in a contemporary manner. Having a good understanding of how buildings were made with cob, timber, thatch, and straw has enabled us to use these materials and methods with our contemporary designs. The classroom was also designed along building biology principles (see our Building Biology page for further details) with emphasis on natural and passive ventilation, energy efficiency, maximising daylight levels, and the use of natural materials to reduce the build up of toxins and chemicals in the school classroom. The last item being particular important for growing children.
We think the new round house when finished will sit rather nicely against our classroom for the future.
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