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Architectural Innovation


Sweet chestnut, often associated with traditional rustic fencing, is popping up in the most unlikely places.  Contemporary architecture in the Southeast is providing a remarkable new market for the humble coppice pole


Stroll down quaint Pinwell Lane in Lewes, East Sussex and discover an exciting domestic new-build clad on three sides in local sweet chestnut, a durable sustainably grown hardwood. Over in Hastings, English Partnerships, with a strong environmental agenda, have specified load-bearing columns and laminated beams of sweet chestnut for the Priory Neighbourhood Centre re-development.  Duncan Baker-Brown (of BBM Sustainable Design, the Lewes-based architectural practice behind the above projects) has clad, shelved and stylishly decked his own home, Sparrow House, in sweet chestnut (short-listed for the RIBA Downland Prize). 

The list goes on: a terrace of 3 Lewes houses 
to be clad in sweet chestnut (BBM); a complete refurbishment of a Brighton house using sweet chestnut for both exterior cladding and internal joinery (BBM); the new Media Centre in Hastings to be clad in sweet chestnut (BBM). The R.H. Partnership (Brighton based architects) will be using 450m2 of sweet chestnut for external cladding, and more for internal joinery, at the new Innovation Centre in Hastings. Most importantly, the sweet chestnut is all coming from Southeast England. 



Sweet chestnut exterior cladding on this four storey central-Lewes domestic build. Sweet chestnut sourced in Southeast England and processed by Inwood Developments.

With at least 160 square kilometres of sweet chestnut coppice in Kent and Sussex there is the potential to supply a significant proportion of our hardwood requirements locally and sustainably.  Much of this coppice is becoming derelict and new markets are needed to reverse this unproductive trend.  The design competition for the Woodland Enterprise Centre in the Nineties triggered the development of finger-jointed sweet chestnut for construction, converting short lengths of low-grade timber into long flexible lengths of multipurpose hardwood.  The Woodland Enterprise Centre now provides an impressive flagship development, demonstrating the versatility of this local product in it’s structural gridshell, cladding, joinery, and flooring.

Inwood Developments, based at Whitesmith, East Sussex (featured in WoodLots 49), supported by East Sussex County Council, had both the vision and resources to invest in the research and technology required to bring finger-jointed sweet chestnut into the construction market.  The investment is paying off, as they are now able to offer a versatile timber product grown locally and sustainably just as the construction market is beginning to take such products seriously.  

BBM Sustainable Design first discovered the environmental credentials of local sweet chestnut when they entered the competition (and were short listed) for the design of the Woodland Enterprise Centre. Inspired, BBM have gone on to incorporate local sweet chestnut into numerous projects. One of their latest designs, for the Priory Neighbourhood Centre, Hastings, will take both sweet chestnut and Inwood Developments into new territory. Layers of finger-jointed sweet chestnut will be glue-laminated to 
form structural beams. These will then be turned to create elegant pillars. These may seem far removed from the fence-posts usually associated with sweet chestnut, but the timbers for both pillar and fence post come from coppice cut on a 15-30 year cycle – so cutting to supply the construction market can fit comfortably into traditional coppice cycles.  


Finger-jointed, glue laminated sweet chestnut 
turned to create elegant load bearing pillars 

Sweet chestnut is ticking all the right ‘green’ boxes: an abundant fast growing local renewable resource managed sustainably and providing, amongst a vast array of products, durable timber for building and joinery.  However, whilst environmental credentials are good, the question remains: can the supply chain meet these new demands?  Can economic sustainability be achieved, completing the sustainable circle and making the management and productivity of our coppice woodlands economically viable once more?   

Nigel Braden (Inwood Developments) seeks suppliers of accurately sawn local sweet chestnut (100mm x 30mm), green or dried, from 15-30 year coppice in lengths of 1 metre to 3 metres. High grade is not important, knots can be removed through skilled selection during the finger jointing process. Inwood Developments manufacture sustainably produced glue-laminated timber products for the construction industry, Tel: 01825 872150. 

BBM Sustainable Design, award winning chartered architects, offer low energy, sustainable architecture, Tel: 01273 480533

 

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