{"id":778738,"date":"2025-03-20T08:45:18","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T08:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=778738"},"modified":"2025-03-20T08:55:59","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T08:55:59","slug":"building-with-natural-materials-promotes-sustainability-circularity-and-joyful-architecture-needs-links","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/opinion\/building-with-natural-materials-promotes-sustainability-circularity-and-joyful-architecture-needs-links","title":{"rendered":"Building with natural materials promotes sustainability, circularity \u2013 and joyful architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Of all the curious and delightful nuggets you might find in the AJ, I\u2019ll bet you didn\u2019t expect to read this line: \u2018One depicts the sleepy head of a golden mole popping out from the stonework, while another, a pangolin, hangs on for dear life at the top of the tower.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Our architecture editor Rob Wilson has visited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/circling-the-square-david-kohns-gradel-quadrangles-at-new-college-oxford\">David Kohn\u2019s striking, sinuous addition to New College, Oxford<\/a>, where carved gargoyles and grotesques emerge from the pink sandstone cornices. There are 24 of them, with the pangolin (<i>above<\/i>) and golden mole joined by the likes of an elephant, toucan and bushbaby \u2013 all representing the animal kingdom currently under threat from the climate crisis.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Many hands have gone into choosing and perfecting this stonework: the animal forms created by artist Monster Chetwynd in collaboration with stonemason Fergus Wessel; Grants of Shoreditch building the fa\u00e7ade that supports them; the animals chosen in consultation with the professor of evolutionary biology at New College, Ashleigh Griffin, with suggestions from author Katherine Rundell.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">There\u2019s a circularity here, and a meeting of old and new. Stone is one of the most ancient natural building materials and gargoyles have a venerable history. And yet it is our collective human actions, among them the endless production of man-made materials such as steel and cement, which are fuelling the current climate emergency. The humour of the grotesques is a quirky warning of a horror beyond \u2013 and what we stand to lose \u2013 if we don\u2019t treat our shared planet with care.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Building more with natural materials promotes sustainability and circularity \u2013 and joyful architecture. For inspiration, check out the AJ\u2019s feature on five new projects on site or recently completed, which include a rammed earth house by Tuckey Design Studio and a \u2018net zero\u2019 welcome centre built with straw bales by Citizens Design Bureau. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Also in the magazine, Nimtim architects has recently completed a hempcrete and timber extension to a London semi \u2013 showing that this is an accessible architectural approach. As nimtim co-founder Tim O\u2019Callaghan says: \u2018It\u2019s something general builders at a small domestic scale can easily pick up and then implement. It opens up the possibility of using low-carbon, healthy and bio-based materials to homeowner clients. That is really exciting.\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Demountable architecture using timber frames also has particularly intriguing possibilities (<i>see Fran Williams\u2019 take on a sustainable food market in Ilford<\/i>).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Natural materials for use in construction are many and varied. Embrace them! You can see a wonderful range on the AJ\u2019s cover this month, provided by Material Cultures, David Kohn Architects and Jestico + Whiles. A special thank you to Jestico + Whiles for hosting the photoshoot in its office \u2013 and in particular to Luka Rocyn for kindly making the AJ logos. Look carefully, there\u2019s a second AJ logo hiding in there.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Of all the curious and delightful nuggets you might find in the AJ, I\u2019ll bet you didn\u2019t expect to read this line: \u2018One depicts the sleepy head of a golden mole popping out from the stonework, while another, a pangolin, hangs on for dear life at the top of the tower.\u2019 Our architecture editor Rob &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2185,"featured_media":778763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[745],"tags":[2834,1462,101556,2832,100939],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Building with natural materials promotes sustainability, circularity \u2013 and joyful architecture<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Natural materials used in construction are many and varied. 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