The Rug Room

A modest cor-ten steel-clad plywood structure lies towards the end of a narrow garden facing both the rear of an early Victorian crescent and a secret garden. With apertures onlooking to both, it is a place to work, read, and most importantly for a client who makes rag rugs.

Offset from the garden's end, with entrance doors to one side and rear, the building's angled (double layer) plywood structure is sleeved inside cor-ten steel. With a work table that faces the house and lined in shelves full of fabrics and books, all of these elements help brace and support the structure.

Developed through drawings and models, the Rug Room was designed in such a way that the architect could also be the contractor. Fabricated offsite in a joiners workshop the plywood structure was successfully test built prior to delivery.

A flurry of activity ensued after a delicate manoeuvring of the hand crafted components (sized smaller than 8x4ft) through the house and down an awkward narrow staircase. The Rug Room was constructed upon six small pad foundations, the plywood was assembled first, then glazed, insulated and finally clad in raw cor-ten.

Belying permanence in its short assembly and following existence, the cor-ten has since weathered alongside the autumn rust. The Rug Room although new, feels familiar, its age indeterminable, providing a timeless sense of place.