Gardenhide Studio

The project was conceived as an experimental self-build studio. Designed as a way to explore the potential of using hempcrete as a breathable biocircular building material; The intention was to create a garden studio that wasn’t simply a lightweight shed - rather something which felt permanent and embedded within the garden. It was designed to be filled with light and offer connection with the garden. A hidden away working space from which to enjoy the natural world and visiting wildlife. The space is formed of two interconnected rooms, one room houses a long table for working￾with space for drawing and model making, and a room next door which is a snug. The two rooms are supplemented by a small WC and a storage platform above. The project has thick hempcrete walls that provide both the enclosure and the insulation for the project. The hempcrete has a great ability to work as a thermal mass heat store, and the East and West facing windows provide opportunity for the sun to passively heat the building. The design is very particular, responding to the garden views and orientation, the potentials of working with cast hempcrete and the idiosyncrancies of the designers. It is filled with small moments of craft and consideration, whilst having an overall coherence and contemplative character. The positioning of windows allows light to rake across the textured clay painted walls, and the water from the pond is reflected on the exposed beams of the overhanging roof. Whilst only a small space, its layering and connection to the garden make it feel much bigger than the sum of its parts.