04 Apr 2023

No Building As Usual

How Studio Bark’s initiative made Nest House a reality for Francine and Stephen Burns.

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Francine and Stephen Burns started their journey in 2015 to build a modest, accessible and environmentally-responsible house on their small farmstead. Francine has a rare disability, and Stephen has been battling early-onset Alzheimer’s for several years. In 2021, after rapidly rising costs made this dream seem unreachable, Studio Bark launched its NBAU (No Building As Usual) programme, giving all those involved extra impetus to make it happen. Here, Studio Bark explores the process through which the Burns transformed their ambition to build a house into a tangible reality, as well as the role played by its NBAU programme, a not-for-profit educational initiative, in bringing Francine and Stephen's home, Nest House, to fruition.

In 2015, Francine and Stephen approached Studio Bark after being informed by a local planning agent that their agricultural land could not be approved for residential use. To integrate the home with the surrounding hamlet’s sensitive environment, Studio Bark embedded the structure into the slope and added a green roof and planted trellis. In 2018, following productive discussions with Herefordshire Council, planning permission was granted for the house.

The No Building As Usual (NBAU) concept

Regrettably, over the years, the clients’ physical condition deteriorated while construction costs surged, rendering the much-needed accessible home for the couple seemingly unachievable. Faced with this predicament and with planning permission soon to expire, Francine and Stephen decided to experiment with Studio Bark’s ‘No Building As Usual’ (NBAU) concept, a not-for-profit educational initiative that promised financial viability.

Under the guidance of Studio Bark, Nest House was erected by a team of 12 students throughout the summer of 2021. The students resided on site for the entirety of the construction - living and working in a remarkably immersive manner. The programme brought together students from different ethnic backgrounds and various stages of their academic careers.

Nestling in nature

To improve accessibility and address strong winds, the plan of the building is centred around a small courtyard, which also maximises daylight and cross-ventilation. The project prioritised resource efficiency to ensure financial and environmental sustainability.

To achieve this, the use of concrete was prohibited on site. Instead, an innovative jack pad foundation system was employed, along with raised decks to provide level access. Extensive groundwork was carried out to achieve the desired foundation level, and an innovative reclaimed railway sleeper retaining wall and planter system was developed in collaboration with the groundworker and engineer, significantly reducing the need for concrete and steel.

The project also minimised its carbon footprint through the use of fabric-first principles, local and natural materials, high levels of natural insulation, good airtightness, onsite renewable energy sources and an efficient infrared heating system.

Building the foundation and shell of Nest House

During the groundworks phase, several groundwater springs were discovered. As a result, two new land drains were installed behind the retaining wall, while an additional land drain was placed under the building pad and below the compacted hardcore level.

Once the foundation level was achieved, a compacted hardcore raft was created using recycled hardcore sourced from less than a mile away. The raft was levelled to +/-20mm, and jackpad foundations were placed on it with a 50mm adjustment. A structural timber base frame, made of C24 treated spruce, was inserted into the jackpad foundations.

After installation, a DPM was positioned between the timber base frame and U-Build floor boxes, which were bolted together with central stiffeners to create a super stiff raft on top. U-Build Wall Boxes were then installed to reach wall plate height, followed by four birch plywood beam boxes that completed the structural frame. The U-Build roof boxes were then bolted together on top of the beams to complete the shell.

To insulate the roof, pre-tapered PIR insulation from Xtratherm was used, which was taped for airtightness, followed by the installation of an additional DPM and a one-piece butyl roofcovering on top. A protection fleece was then laid, followed by a lightweight recycled plastic drainage layer with a geotextile membrane, before laying the organic substrate and finally the sedum matting. The perimeter was then protected using a generous border of river stones.

Once the roof was complete, all of the walls were wrapped and taped with an airtight breather membrane, and vertical Douglas Fir battens and cross battens were installed to accept the Douglas Fir cladding, which used stainless-steel ring shank nails. All of the cladding and decking were set out on a 100mm grid, except for windows and doors, where the grid was changed to 50mm to help break up the proportions of the elevations.

The building is surrounded by Douglas Fir decking sitting on Douglas Fir joists, which were installed with stainless-steel fixings for extra durability.

Success beyond the project

Commenting on the project, Francine says: “When we first approached Studio Bark, we were not confident that we would get planning consent, but from the outset, their approach to the design brief and their willingness to communicate positively and productively with the planning officers increased our confidence.

“We are now delighted with the end result, our home, which is not only ideal for my needs as a disabled person but is also aesthetically so suited to its rural setting. We are proud to have been part of this innovative learning project and feel that we have made a new ‘family’ with the student team involved in the building work. We know that they will all go on to achieve great things in their future careers.”

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