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Built Works creates Drying Shed sauna in East Sussex woodland
CategoriesArchitecture

Built Works creates Drying Shed sauna in East Sussex woodland

By Zarkon Group,

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

Crawshaw Architects transforms cow shed into Stanbridge Mill Library
CategoriesInterior Design

Crawshaw Architects transforms cow shed into Stanbridge Mill Library

By Zarkon Group,

London studio Crawshaw Architects has transformed a former cow shed in Dorset into a library and office, organised around a wooden, barrel-vaulted arcade that references the client’s collection of books on classical Palladian architecture.

The Stanbridge Mill Library, which has been shortlisted in the civic and cultural interiors category of Dezeen Awards 2022, occupies one of several outbuildings of a Georgian farmhouse on a grade II-listed farm.

Exterior of converted barn in Dorset
Crawshaw Architects has overhauled a former cow shed in Dorset

The narrow, gabled brick shed was originally built to house Standbridge Mill Farm’s cows but had stood neglected for over forty years, used as storage for gardening equipment and farm machinery.

Looking to give the building a new purpose while maintaining its existing character, Crawshaw Architects made only small structural interventions, replacing two of its original roof trusses with portal frames that open up the interior.

Entrance to Stanbridge Mill Library
The studio has transformed it into a library and office

“While a decisive transformation of the interior was called for, we felt that the original use of the building needed to be part of the story,” explained the studio.

Stanbridge Mill Library’s focal point is a central “nave”, which is filled with seating areas covered by a wooden barrel vault and slotted between two narrow aisles lined by bookshelves. This plan references classical architectural forms, which are the focus of many of the client’s books.

Library with barrel-vaulted arcade
The Stanbridge Mill Library is organised around a barrel-vaulted arcade

Pale, solid oak has been used for the floor, shelving, storage and the central vault, half of which is covered with planks and the other half left open to allow in light from new skylights.

“The high nave and pair of aisles are in the form of a classical library, but are set out in the register of the original building using the materials and construction techniques of traditional farm carpentry and metalwork,” explained Crawshaw Architects.

White-walled room in Stanbridge Mill Library by Crawshaw Architects
The office occupies the northern end of the building

“The vault, columns, shelves, tables and seating are made of the same solid oak planks and sections, deliberately selected to show knots and natural blemishes,” the studio continued.

Desks are organised to take advantage of light from the windows and are illuminated at night by large pendants suspended from the vault.

The office space occupies the northern end of the building underneath an original roof truss, which is separated from the library by an arched glass door and windows that frame views through the nave and aisles.

To the south of Stanbridge Mill Library, a dog-leg in the plan is occupied by a small kitchen, positioned opposite a bathroom and a small lobby area.

Desks of wooden library in old barn
Pale solid oak has been used throughout

Stanbridge Mill Library features in the civic and cultural interior category of Dezeen Awards 2022 alongside the renovation of the Groote Museum in Amsterdam by Merk X.

Another project on the shortlist is the interior of F51 Skate Park in Folkestone by Hollaway Studio, which won the public vote for the same category.

The photography is by Ingrid Rasmussen.

Project credits:

Architect: Crawshaw Architects
Design team: Pandora Dourmisi, Aidan Crawshaw
Structural engineer: Hardman Structural Engineers
Contractor: CanDo Constructions ltd

Reference