Roundhouses
Welsh oak play boat, St. Buryan, Cornwall. This was a commission for a community play area, and built in collaboration with Mr. Jo Barlow. It was a bespoke piece of work, and has a unique charm for children.
Simple roundhouse, Welsh oak, turf roof, Wales. Built for an outdoor education centre as a shelter for evening marshmallows and storytelling, this sturdy 6m diametre roundhouse is a good example of a standard issue build, taking 6 weeks, and to stand for decades. This project was funded by Carmarthen County Council, and built in association with Woodhouse Wood.
Ben has now built 8 different roundhouses of round pole Welsh Oak. They are mainly in Wales, and further pictures can be found in the Gallery page. Below are two examples of very different scales.
Two-story roundhouse, Welsh oak and straw bales, Somerset. Built in collaboration with Jo Barlow, this mammoth roundhouse is built on stilts on the Somerset Levels. Ben and Jo built the timber frame, another team did the straw bale walling.
Small roundhouse over cob oven, Welsh oak, Wales. This one was built as a tutorial course in partnership with Down to Earth project near Swansea. A neat job, and the perfect partner to the oven. the timber has been stripped of bark in this roundhouse, offering a smoother finish, suited to more domestic applications. As with most of the roundhouses, the central hole in the roof has an elevated 'hat' over it, a mini reciprocal roof, underneath which the firesmoke can pass.
