Feilden Clegg Bradley

Studios

Authored by: Srishti Goswami

[Type text]
Architects - Feilden Clegg Bradley

StudiosLocation - SpudWORKS, Hampshire, United Kingdom

Category – Offices

Design Team - Charlotte Knight, Mina Gospavic, Lauren Shevills, Ross

Galtress, FCBStudios

Area - 14.0 𝑚2

Project year – 2014

Photographs - Matt Dunkinson, Richard Battye

Manufacturers - Accoya
Four architectural assistants from FCBStudios (Charlotte Knight, Ross Galtress,
Mina Gospavic and Lauren Shevills) together with Devon-based artist Edward
Crumpton won a competition to create a structure that could house multi-
disciplinary artists and directly engage with the public. They responded to the
brief by creating two rotating wooden structures:
- The Study: a private and weather-tight artist’s studio.
- The Workshop: a space for the artist to present their work and encounter the
public in.

The team was inspired by the geometric forms of Sol de Wit and a 15th century
painting Saint Jerome in His Study in which the viewer looks into the framed
space of the artist, with a landscape framed beyond.
With these ideas in mind, The Observatory frames the artist’s space inside and
its surrounding landscapes outside. Artist or audience can rotate the buildings,
which like telescopes, can face new points of interest –a nod to the coastal
defence ‘lookout’ structures often found along the British coastline
Dark charred timber panels, created using a Japanese technique called Shou
Sugi Ban form the external cladding. This richly textured, outer layer contrasts
with the smooth lighter woods used inside the cabins. Edward Crumpton’s
knotted and tarred marlin rope screen adds further decorative detail that will
weather beautifully over time
A wood-burning stove provides heat, the solar panel on the roof is enough to
power a light bulb and a laptop, and rainwater harvesting supplies the artist’s
sink with water
SHOU SUGI BAN
Shou sugi ban (or yakisugi) is an ancient Japanese exteriorsiding
technique that preserves wood by charring it with fire. Traditionally
sugi also called red-cedar ,was used .the process involves charring the
wood ,cooling it, cleaning it, and finishing it with a natural oil.

 Selection of wood

 Burning
 Wire brushing

 Cleaning
 oiling