Virtual Building Tour – Cork House by CSK Architects and the Bartlett School of Architecture

The 2021 series of the AIA UK Chapter’s “Virtual Building Tours” continued on 11 March with a visit to Cork House, the first building of its type made by using a new form of simple, solid, plant-based construction.  Matthew Barnett Howland and Dido Milne, both of CSK Architects and Oliver Wilton from The Bartlett School of Architecture, led us through an insightful tour of Cork House in Berkshire, England, which was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2019.  

Cork House, a winner in both the Professional and Sustainability - Small Project categories of the AIA UK Chapter Design Awards, is carefully integrated into the landscape beside the River Thames. The dwelling was a collaborative design by Howland, Milne and Wilton in response to climate change and their passion for biodiversity and sustainability. Their goal was to demonstrate the industry’s responsibility to directly impact how we as practitioners think and respond to our impact on the planet.

As a result of the modular nature of the cork blocks that were developed, the house comprises five identical volumes arranged in a linear fashion, each topped by pyramid-like skylights. The building is primarily constructed from sustainably sourced cork blocks, supported by timber ring beams. It has been designed so that, in the future, it can be easily dismantled, reused or recycled.  The design team used the limitations and constraints of the material to their advantage by creating a distinctive, sustainable and sculptural object in the landscape.  The tour highlighted and guided participants through the materials history, research and development, and construction as well as providing insights into what living in the house is like by its resident.

Copyright: David Grandorge

At the start of the tour, Oliver Wilton highlighted the historical use of cork in construction, which began around 1891, although it was used extensively much earlier in other industries, most notable the bottling of spirits and champagne.  He further highlighted the sustainable growth, harvesting and production process of the modular cork blocks developed specifically for Cork House.  Oliver showcased the collaborative efforts of a diverse research group that was involved in its experimental stages, including the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL, the University of Bath and Arup. The experimental research was partly funded by Innovate UK and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council EPSRC. 

Oliver first outlined the complexities of a typical, modern, external building skin and the built-up layering of its components.  Using an assortment of materials, each component provides a different technical function within the overall construction of the built-up wall. This was in contrast to the simplicity of using a single component - cork – providing all the multiple technical functions in the typical building skin.  In the house, the cork material provides both the internal and external finishes, the insulation properties and a watertight envelope.  

The tour continued with Matthew Barnett Howland describing the development process of Cork House.  He described the genesis of the use of the material as it, “embodies a strong, whole life approach to sustainability, from resource through to end-of-life.  Expanded cork is a pure bio-material made from cork forestry wastage.  The bark of the cork oak is harvested by hand every nine years without harming the tree or disturbing the forest.  This gentle, agro-industry sustains the Mediterranean cork oak landscapes, providing a rich biodiverse habitat that is widely recognised”. 

Matthew described the simplicity in the construction methodology; a construction system easily stacked like “Lego,” blocks and dry-jointed so that all 1,268 blocks of cork can be reclaimed at end-of-building-life for reuse, recycling, or return to the biosphere. As part of the development process, a number of prototype “blocks” were produced and used in constructing smaller versions of the project, one of which was called Cork Cabin, assisting in the testing of the processes before proceeding to build the final house. 

Dido Milne completed the evening’s comments by focusing on the experiential aspects of the design.  The aesthetic character of the cork, its tactile qualities and, of course, its aroma. The cork skin of the building gives it a specific tactile quality whilst the corbelled form of the successive roofs provides a distinctive architecture. The interior continues the expression of simplicity in the overall concept by also using cork as the primary material, accented by timber ring beams overhead, timber floors and storage spaces, with a hint of colour accented by copper pipes and bronze finishes in the kitchen.  The overall design is a celebration of cork and sustainable internal finishes that are both paired-back and elegant.  The results speak for themselves - an exemplar in sustainable construction and a finely crafted building nestled in its landscape. 

The AIA UK Chapter continues to host its virtual building tour series for the 2021 season based on Winners of AIA UK 2020 Excellence in Design Awards. The series offers architects and interested parties the opportunity to visit notable buildings that have particular design interests in the UK and abroad. Follow this link for further information to participate in the next tour of Leeza Soho by Zaha Hadid Architects on 08 April 2021. 

Written by Gregory Fonseca, AIA 

Copyright: Oliver Wilton