Thatched and Insulated
The Long Straw - Wheat
Students from the M Arch: Architecture course at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Straw, clay, timber
This fragment of a low-carbon house was made by students at Central Saint Martins. Guided by architects Material Cultures, their design features a thatched roof, clay tiles and load-bearing walls made from timber and straw. The clay tiles ensure waterproofing outside, and acoustic and thermal insulation inside.*
From the exhibition
How to Build a Low-Carbon Home
(July 2023 – March 2024)
Discover how architects are reimagining wood, stone and straw to design homes fit for the future.
With almost 30% of global carbon emissions caused by the construction and running of buildings, there is a need radically rethink the materials we use to build our towns and cities. Rather than experimental new inventions, this display explores three ancient materials that are vital for a low-carbon future: wood, stone and straw.
Through the work of contemporary architects Material Cultures, Waugh Thistleton and Groupwork, as well as engineers Webb Yates, follow the journey of these materials from fields, forests and quarries to cutting-edge buildings. Discover how robotics is revolutionising the fabrication of new timber building parts, how your next home might have a thatched roof and learn what role diamond wire plays in a stonemason’s yard.
[*Design Musem]
Taken in the Design Musem
Thatched and Insulated
The Long Straw - Wheat
Students from the M Arch: Architecture course at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Straw, clay, timber
This fragment of a low-carbon house was made by students at Central Saint Martins. Guided by architects Material Cultures, their design features a thatched roof, clay tiles and load-bearing walls made from timber and straw. The clay tiles ensure waterproofing outside, and acoustic and thermal insulation inside.*
From the exhibition
How to Build a Low-Carbon Home
(July 2023 – March 2024)
Discover how architects are reimagining wood, stone and straw to design homes fit for the future.
With almost 30% of global carbon emissions caused by the construction and running of buildings, there is a need radically rethink the materials we use to build our towns and cities. Rather than experimental new inventions, this display explores three ancient materials that are vital for a low-carbon future: wood, stone and straw.
Through the work of contemporary architects Material Cultures, Waugh Thistleton and Groupwork, as well as engineers Webb Yates, follow the journey of these materials from fields, forests and quarries to cutting-edge buildings. Discover how robotics is revolutionising the fabrication of new timber building parts, how your next home might have a thatched roof and learn what role diamond wire plays in a stonemason’s yard.
[*Design Musem]
Taken in the Design Musem