Case study:
Shropshire Forest School
Shropshire
Agricultural, Commercial, New Build
Base Architects supported Shropshire Federation of Young Farmers with their ‘2012 Forest School Build Challenge’ and were asked to produce a design that was sustainable, locally sourced and tied in with its natural environment.
Overview
Base Architects supported Shropshire Federation of Young Farmers with their ‘2012 Forest School Build Challenge’ and were asked to produce a design that was sustainable, locally sourced and tied in with its natural environment.
The proposal is designed to a traditional timber post and beam frame construction, with straw bale infill sitting on a perimeter of aggregate filled recycled tyres.
What We Did
The internal floor and timber decking are elevated from the forest floor to minimise ground disturbance and appease ecological concerns.
The build, sited within a forest setting already utilised by forest school groups, faced numerous challenges through the planning stage.
Coppicing and felling of existing woodland had to be authorised in order to make way for the school and provide a protection perimeter from falling debris. A bespoke drainage and water harvesting system was designed to appease concerns over tree roots losing nutrients from the area that would be sheltered by the build.
The result
Low-level windows enable younger pupils to see out into the woodland when sitting within the teaching room.
Internal holes are cut out of the finished plaster, reminding the occupants of the unique and natural environment they are studying within, thereby continuing the link with nature that forest schools strive to deliver to their pupils.
