The starting point for this design references the traditional timber framed barns once common in Canterbury. Occasionally you come across a barn nearing the end of its life, with bleached and weathered timbers. The roof framing is letting go, and a graceful curve develops in the ridge line as the building becomes more beautifully integrated into the landscape.
This building will be an ambassador for natural building. For many it will be their first encounter with these technologies. As such it should be relatable, distinctive, dignifying; a building that people can identify with. At the same time expressive of the materials used.
In this design the main materials are sourced from the nearby landscape. Wheat straw from the surrounding farmland; lime from Amuri for plaster; macrocarpa from farm shelterbelts for frame and cladding; bricks for the floor salvaged from the Canterbury earthquakes; and river stones for the sheltering wall along the south.
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