A Respect For Natural Materials

Having grown up working on and living in ancient buildings I have gained a great respect for natural materials and their innate intelligence.

Modern techniques have evolved that pay homage to lost and forgotten building crafts of the past. Having spent several years working to high energy saving standards with mainstream techniques, I felt that something was missing. Many of the materials of today just don’t perform like they should. They also lack soul. I devoted a few years to travelling and learning Natural Building techniques. This was greatly rewarding. I have since honed what are often quite rustic techniques to suit the existing built environment. Use of Hemp, Lime, Straw Timber, living roofs and well, you name it, can really transform a home. 

Building a structure from scratch gives a great deal of freedom. Not having to conform to an existing rhetoric allows artistic, design and material freedom.