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Built Works creates Drying Shed sauna in East Sussex woodland

Red shingles and an oversailing roof characterise this sauna, which London studio Built Works has completed in a woodland in East Sussex.

Located on the edge of a family-run farm in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Drying Shed serves guests staying in two nearby cabins.

Built Works design red timber sauna in East Sussex — Built Works has created the Drying Shed sauna in East Sussex

The sauna was commissioned by Architects Holiday, a platform created by the Built Works team that specialises in architect-designed holiday cabins in the countryside.

It is situated in a small clearing within walking distance from the cabins and is reached via woodland paths.

The Drying Shed in East Sussex — The structure is covered with red shingles

Built Works’s design references the historical agricultural drying sheds of the area, evident in its geometric form and the patterned use of larch shingles.

The rich, red hue of the cladding aims to complement the surrounding woodland while ensuring it is easily identifiable.

Interior view of the Drying Shed commissioned by Architects Holiday — A wood-burning stove features inside

“The choice of red adds a subtle, updated twist to aid wayfinding, yet still sits harmoniously within its setting,” said the studio.

“Detailing features at each corner, in a contemporary take on the traditional cladding found on drying sheds,” the studio continued. “Overhanging panels would open and close to aid the drying process.”

Wood-lined interior of Built Works' sauna — The interior is lined with alder wood

The Drying Shed is constructed from a timber frame, insulated with recycled plastic and sheep wool. It is crowned with a corrugated roof that oversails the structure and offers cover from the elements.

Elevated above the ground, the sauna offers views of a stream and the adjacent countryside through a large picture window.

“The sauna is elevated above ground to reduce harm to surrounding habitats and features discrete root-sensitive screw piles for additional stability,” the studio told Dezeen.

“[It is] perched on stones salvaged from an old barn on the site.”

Built Works create sauna in East Sussex — The Drying Shed is elevated above the ground

The interior is lined with alder timber, a choice inspired by trees in the vicinity.

Central to the experience of the Drying Shed is a wood-burning stove. A bench beside it is crafted from the trunk of a silver birch, the top of which has been carved to form a flat, slatted seat that echoes the floor and walls.

Built Works design red timber sauna called the Drying Shed in East Sussex — Its red colour aims to make it identifiable in the woodland

Built Works was founded in 2020 and has studios in both London and the Lake District. The construction of the Drying Shed was carried out through a live-build workshop involving staff from Built Works and Architects Holiday as part of an annual summer programme.

Other saunas featured recently on Dezeen include one in Devon with blackened-wood cladding and a large square window and a lakeside one alongside an Art Museum in Finland.

The photography is by Holly Farrier.

Reference

Sustainable News

Solar-powered cooling for East Africa’s livestock industry

By Zarkon Group,11/10/2023

Spotted: Kenya has a thriving livestock industry that employs half of all agricultural workers in the country. But gaps in the cold chain contribute to large volumes of food being wasted, with Sub-Saharan Africa losing 36 per cent of all food post-harvest, and 94 per cent of that figure being caused by inefficiencies across the supply chain. With the goal of finding a way to reduce waste and improve income for local communities, Kenya-based company Baridi has created a means of using Africa’s sunshine to preserve meats.

The startup’s solar-powered cooling solutions keep fresh meats cold or frozen, and the solar chillers come in three different sizes: a ‘Nano’, ‘Mini’, or ‘Mega’. The Nano is 10 square feet, while the Mini is 20 square feet and the Mega 40 square feet.

Mindful of the range of sizes of operations run by farmers and distributors, Baridi makes it possible to buy or rent a unit via a leasing agreement. And as part of founder Tracy Kimathi’s work to involve more women in the country’s meat supply chain system and boost economic opportunities for families, Baridi also offers a pay-as-you-store model for smallholder farmers and smaller distributors.

Each solar-powered unit the company installs reduces annual meat spoilage by more than 290,000 kilogrammes and decreases public market losses by up to 15 per cent. The units are Internet-of-Things- (IoT) enabled to allow remote monitoring of temperatures and humidity, as well as door openings. Baridi plans to install more than 60 of the cooling units within the next five years at locations across the country.

As temperatures rise around the world, refrigeration becomes even more important to the healthcare and food supply chains that crisscross the globe. From creating ways to store vaccinations and other medicines as solids to portable, solar-powered refrigerators, innovations in the Springwise database showcase the importance of bringing sustainable cooling solutions to communities everywhere.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Architecture

Ergon Agora East Re-Interprets the Supermarket Experience

By Zarkon Group,12/02/2023

Ergon Agora East – The challenge was to re-interpret the common supermarket experience, by introducing a new vocabulary of materials and forms. An additional challenge was to intervene in an existing, old industrial shell and create a new, modern and of high-quality space.

Architizer chatted with Tasos Georgantzis, Managing Director at Urban Soul Project, to learn more about this project.

Architizer: What inspired the initial concept for your design?

Tasos Georgantzis: ERGON already has a visual identity in terms of spatial design so we had in our hands a range of elements to shape Agora’s identity. This identity is based on greek materiality, tradition, architecture colours and forms. This identity is always the starting point in every ERGON project. Specifically in this case, we were inspired by our own experience in markets, both open and closed. We wanted to design a space that combines different uses, for different hours and different age groups.

This project won in the 10th Annual A+Awards! What do you believe are the standout components that made your project win?

ERGON Agora East is innovative for two reasons: not only it proposes a new way to design a supermarket but also proposes a way to re-use an existing industrial shell. Regarding the second point, the changes made to the building were subtle but significant: the roof was opened in order for the daylight to enter the building, and also with the opening of the southwest side the building becomes integrated with its environment. ERGON Agora’s design is minimal, respects the existing structure and creates a new narration using old materials.

What was the greatest design challenge you faced during the project, and how did you navigate it?

The greatest challenge in ERGON Agora East design process was the request to fit in one space different uses, define a hierarchy among them and achieve to keep them connected, not separated. ERGON Agora East is at the same time a super market, a winery, a restaurant, a bakery and a garden.

Consultants

Electromechanical Study: Charalambos Charalambidis / Metalwork: Damon Sidiropoulos / Woodwork: Aris Iliadis / Landscape Design: FYTRON, Urban Soul Project

For more on Ergon Agora East, please visit the in-depth project page on Architizer.

Ergon Agora East Gallery

Reference

Interior Design

DDG and IMG outfit penthouse at Manhattan’s 180 East 88th Street tower

By Zarkon Group,19/11/2022

Arched openings frame views of New York City from this duplex penthouse apartment in a Carnegie Hill residential tower, designed and developed by American real estate company DDG.

The penthouse sits atop the newly constructed 180 East 88th Street, an art deco-influenced building that tallest residence north of 72nd Street on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Bedroom with arched window — The arched opening that crowns 180 East 88th Street frame views from the interior

Spilt over two storeys, its 5,508 square feet (512 square metres) of interiors were designed by the tower’s architects and developers DDG and staged by New York firm IMG.

The residence also enjoys an additional 3,500 square feet (325 square metres) of exterior spaces across multiple levels — including a private rooftop terrace overlooking Central Park.

Sculptural staircase — A sculptural staircase connects the two storeys and the roof terrace of the penthouse

Huge arches in the grey-brick facades that wrap the building’s crown are visible from the inside, thanks to large expanses of glazing that enclose the apartment on both floors.

There are views across the city in all directions, the most dramatic of which is of the Midtown skyline to the south.

There are two living spaces, a large dining area and a separate eat-in kitchen, five bedrooms and a den, and four full and two half bathrooms.

The two internal levels and the roof terrace are connected by a curvaceous staircase that rises through centre of the penthouse.

Spaces are neutrally decorated, with sculptural light fixtures and expressive artworks adding visual interest.

In the kitchen, a golden cooker hood echoes the colour and shape of an architectural feature on the building’s pinnacle.

Huge arched opening with view of Manhattan — Expansive terraces enjoy unobstructed views across Manhattan

Completed earlier this year, 180 East 88th Street includes 46 half- and full-floor residences, along with amenities such as a partial indoor basketball court and soccer pitch, a game room, a residents’ lounge, a private fitness and yoga studio, and a children’s playroom with a slide.

The building’s exterior design was influenced by “the boom in high-rise masonry construction in New York in the early 20th century”, and is one of many recent skyscrapers in the city that have ditched glass in favour of more solid-looking materials.

Bathroom — Full-height glass walls allow the vistas to be enjoyed from the majority of rooms

“Paying homage to the lost art of traditional craftsmanship, the intricate exterior features a striking hand-laid brick facade made of 600,000 handmade bricks by Denmark’s master brickworks Petersen Tegl,” said a statement from DDG.

Manhattan has no shortage of luxury penthouses, with some of the most notable including a residence at the top of Rafael Viñoly’s 432 Park Avenue and the premium unit at Zaha Hadid’s 520 West 28th Street development.

The photography is by Sean Hemmerle.

Reference

east

Built Works creates Drying Shed sauna in East Sussex woodland

Solar-powered cooling for East Africa’s livestock industry

Ergon Agora East Re-Interprets the Supermarket Experience

Ergon Agora East Gallery

DDG and IMG outfit penthouse at Manhattan’s 180 East 88th Street tower

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