Tisbury Garden Office

Reappropriating a tight space at the rear of their cottage’s garden, the office’s cranked plan was defined by the curving stone wall which forms the perimeter of the site. Today, the building hosts a modest two-person workspace, which catches both morning and evening light but remains out of view from afar, sheltered by existing vegetation from the north and south approaches along the lane.

We built the office ourselves over eight days as a way to teach us about the build process as well as test the viability of locally sourced materials. The architect, engineer, contractor and client prefabricated the project off-site using locally felled green Douglas fir, cork and 140mm sheep's wool cassettes – a material palette that contrasts with the stone cottage. Minimal groundwork and adjustable footings on found stone slabs allowed for an entry level approach to the build.

The site sits within the Tisbury Conservation area – just over a mile from Alison and Peter Smithson’s Upper Lawn Pavilion. Like Upper Lawn, the office abuts the existing stone wall which is typical of The Quarry and is clad in a similar 0.8mm dull galvanised steel plate. The steel was chosen because the galvanised reflects the colour of the surfaces it is near, blending in with surrounding vegetation and sky.

Structure Workshop’s carbon calculator took into account the potential for material reuse as well as lifespan of various materials, therefore allowing the design team to weigh up the advantages of a timber versus steel cladding and informing the material specification. The project has been a chance to collaborate and experiment, testing the qualities of locally sourced materials first hand on a small scale – allowing us to specify them on larger projects in the future.