We are starting the new year having moved in to our new studio!
The guiding principle for its design is re-use and retain. Much of the existing building has been reused and complimented with a fabric first approach where high levels of insulation, MVHR, air-tightness and high performance triple glazing have created a space with a very low heating demand. With a 20KW PV array, electric car chargers and just off Passivhaus levels of insulation, the building is an affordable exemplar of sustainable construction.
It has been a test bed for a precut timber-framed I-beam system with blown wood-fibre insulation with high levels of airtightness being developed by our practice. This is being conceived to reduce waste, cost and deliver better insulated timber frames with less thermal bridging.
Set amongst 3 acres of rolling north Oxfordshire landscape, an integral part of the scheme is the regeneration of the site by re-wilding and forming a bio-diverse environment. We have already planted native trees across much of the site and will be planting a wild-flower meadow to create a wildlife and insect oasis.
