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In
the early 21st century, a growing number of people are commissioning truly
green buildings. This is good for the development and art of architecture.
Many clients do not have large amounts of money to spend but have seen
past the myth that architects, by definition, mean expensive. These same
people are aware that good environmental design is part and parcel of good
design – beautiful, well made and genuinely sustainable.
Wood, a renewable material that locks up carbon, requires healthy forests
and comes with a tradition that most of us know from childhood, is for me
the most exciting material for designing and building. Alongside my rule
of thumb to avoid petroleum-based materials whenever possible (because
they are toxic to make, use and get rid of), locally-grown wood is, ahead
of all others, my building material of choice.
Through the development and construction of the Downland Gridshell, we
discovered many things about procuring buildings using local timber.
Firstly, and most fundamentally, that construction quality British
hardwoods and softwoods are plentiful. Hardwoods are particularly tempting
to use as they grow well at southern latitudes in Britain, with oak,
chestnut, ash and beech being the principle species. I believe that there
are other timbers that we have simply got out of the habit of using.
However, there is virtually no mapping of commercial woodland in the UK.
This is especially critical in the Southeast where most of the current
important stands are located. In some cases, woodland owners are unaware
of what exists on their own lots. For example, while searching for oak in
Sussex, one woodland owner discovered a large stand of mature western red
cedar of a high enough grade to clad the entire Downland Gridshell without
a single wasted board!
Of course, with a high value pound paid against the weaker Euro, British
growers are at an immediate disadvantage so there is immense pressure on
carpenters, who operate under fierce competition, to buy Continental
timber. The French produce well-managed premium grade oak in quantities
that dwarf British supplies. The Spanish produce high quality chestnut -
again in large quantities. As our British forestry base has become
dilapidated through under-use, so our technological base lags way behind
the continentals when it comes to cutting and milling equipment,
especially compared with the Germanic countries who have advanced their
technologies continually and now proudly export to countries such as
Britain. Quite simply, in the current circumstances, clients must really
want to use British timber to go to the trouble of getting it.
While there is a base of highly skilled and, perhaps more importantly,
very innovative carpenters in the southeast, there clearly are not enough
of them in circulation, and the take-up of training is marginal to
non-existent. The result is that the firms that do exist are in hard
competition for staff and are placing clients on waiting lists or even
refusing commissions. The risk is that we will lose those clients to
bricks or steel, while architects and engineers will become disenchanted.
Post
Downland Gridshell, I have set-up the Architecture Ensemble to
specifically build almost exclusively in timber and, where possible,
locally grown timber. Commissions include the transformation of St Annes
churchyard in Soho from a crime-affected open space into a protected
community garden open to all, using timber as the staple building
material. We are working on several domestic projects (both refurbishment
and new build), again making substantial use of local timber. Additionally
we are designing on a state-of-the-art timber framed centrepiece public
building for Shorne Wood Country Park near Gravesend making use of timber
extracted directly from the site.There
is currently very little information available focussing on local timber
for construction. It is fairly uncharted territory and that is why I am so
excited about the prospects of contributing to a shift from our current
85% imported timber statistic to something more like 50% over the next
decade. I am not an academic but I have spoken with many people and have
come to realize that there is a great deal of talent, skill, excitement
and good will out there. I like designing fun buildings and feel that
using local timber is the best way of getting the job done.
Steve Johnson, The Architects Ensemble
Tel/Fax: 0207 2787064
Mob: 07941 020707
Email: steve@archen.demon.co.uk
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