In order to start working in ceramics again (after a 9 year break), for my part-time MA, I have had to develop a workshop. This has been a challenging and of course, vital project, given that for me, it is essential that my work and practice considers sustainability as a central theme. Six years ago I designed a new workshop space to fit in our garden which we built with a local builder, Jim Wallace, during a snowy winter (see picture). Given my interest and commitment to sustainability and my work on this theme at the time (as Learning for Sustainability Officer with Worcestershire County Council), we decided to experiment with lime-hemp wall construction and using sustainably sourced, FSC grade or local timber for the frame and the cedar shingles on the roof. Lime-hemp walls provide excellent thermal insulation.

However, the “workshop” had become, in-line with many family outdoor spaces, a dumping ground for bicycles, garden tools, camping equipment etc. As a result, a second shed needed to be constructed, this time entirely on my own and following some of the same design priorities as the previous build. This time, there was no need for insulation, but it is entirely made from local timber from Mick Goodman’s woodland and timber yard at Ockeridge, Worcestershire, less than 10 miles from here.

All photographs – RB

Building the new shed to free up the workshop – 2013.

Building the workshop back in 2007.

Bags of hemp and lime ready for wall construction

Timber frame construction with shuttering to hold / mould lime-hemp fill.