Project Title: Green Woodworking Shelter
Location: Gloucestershire
Wood Species: NATIVE OAK FROM HEREFORDSHIRE, NATIVE CHESTNUT SHINGLES FROM COILS TIMBER, BATH
Product Description
The Project
Students at Ruskin Mill College were introduced to green woodworking on pole lathes in a course given by Mike Abbot in 1993. The hand, eye and foot co-ordination is challenging, but students took to bodging up a simple shelter on a centre post, seven smaller posts in a ring with a green tarpaulin cover over. This was set up in the woods above the fishery in 1993. This shelter provided cover for the lathe and the students while having the sapling spring outside and the light source behind the lathe. The design challenge for this replacement building was to retain the spirit of the successful prototype while incorporating some of the skills the students had learnt.
It was decided that Richard Pirie, who had taught he students for 17 years, and Cliff Dressel, with years of skilled carpentry experience would lead a team of students, to self build the project. The Oak was felled and converted with a wood miser in Hereford shire. The structure was designed to use short lengths, limited by the source and handling. The two rings were built by Louis Maw, the rest by the college team. The roof was built on the ground for safety then dismantled and erected in-situ. Battens are native grown western red cedar, sawn green and covering of chestnut shingles.
BUILDING OWNER: RUSKIN MILL COLLEGE
ARCHITECT: DAVID AUSTIN & ASSOCICATES
MAIN CONTRACTOR: STAFF AND STUDENTS OF RUSKIN MILL COLLEGE WITH SOME SPECIALIST HELP
JOINERY COMPANY: LOUIS MAW (GREEN WOODWORK CONSTRUCTION)
