The SiOO X Story – Protecting the Planet - Book - Page 51
Case Study 03
creates a shadow between the brick base and the building’s
superstructure, making the timber-clad building appear to float
just above the ground.
The Private Home
The Watson Annexe
The external timber cladding is formed from coppice-grown
Sweet Chestnut from Sussex in the south-east of England and
supplied by Inwood Developments. The company specialises in
the production of virtually defect-free, finger-jointed lengths of
this species which, being in Durability Class 2, is deemed durable
and thus requiring no additional preservative treatment. In addition to this quality, Sweet Chestnut is not only straight-grained,
hard-wearing and strong it is, for a hardwood, relatively light
in weight, a characteristic that makes it ideal for exterior use.
Ström Architects
THE NEW FOREST is one of the largest remaining tracts of
unenclosed pasture, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering south-west Hampshire and south-east Wiltshire
and an important part of the National Park’s remit is to preserve and protect much of this natural environment. Any new
building proposed within its borders is deemed to be part
of an ecologically sensitive site. And so it was for the Watson
Annexe, a small property designed to replace a dated two-storey structure in the grounds of a house that architect
Magnus Ström had worked on for another practice prior to
establishing his own studio.
In this instance, the 32 mm wall cladding boards are carried up
and over the pitched roof, the junction between the two exquisitely detailed to eschew the need for eaves or visible gutters.
The narrow boards are attached as an open-jointed rainscreen,
pre-drilled and pre-treated with SiOO:X in the Inwood work-
The client brief called for a fun and flexible pavilion that could
act as a party space and additional accommodation when needed, a cosy building that would feel like a music boutique hotel:
all requirements that might seem to be at odds with the natural
environment it sits within. The gardens to the main house are
extensive, however, and the 57 sq. m. annexe is located at some
distance from it. Nevertheless, extensive wildlife surveys had
to be undertaken prior to securing planning permission and
the onset of any works in order to ensure all necessary measures were in place to ensure minimal disruption to the natural
habitats of different species. Once the ecological issues were
addressed to the satisfaction of the relevant authorities, the
existing building on the site was demolished.
The replacement annexe occupies a similar footprint and location to that of its predecessor and has a stick-built timber-stud
frame structure constructed on site from red pine from Latvia.
This frame sits on a recessed plinth of black Kolumba brick, a
simple design move that raises the frame above dpc level and
Architect: Magnus Strom. Photo: Richard Chivers.
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