DESIGN & BUILDClick here for a pdf copy of our Portfolio
EARTH CHAPEL
Concept Situated 100m above the Wadi Arayish valley floor, with views to Zahle, the Beqaa and anti-Lebanon mountains beyond. The Chapel, able to fit around 10 people inside, has a Green roof and is fronted with a circular tower. Complete with porch and functioning bell, this modest structure has all the features of a larger church, but being built almost entirely from materials on the site, it sits very discretely within the landscape. Used by visitors to the Westwood Valley project and as part of wedding ceremonies it has become an integral part of the valley. Technical A rough stone foundation supports an Adobe double brick wall with natural fibre insulated infill. The roof structure is made from local roundwood poplar topped with a waterproof membrane and green ‘living’ roof. Inside are sealed earth floor and benches. No concrete or cement was used.     WATTLE & DAUB WORKSHOP
Concept The first building in the Natural Building School, the Workshop was designed to be a practical space to support the rest of the construction work. Inside it is well lit, with a hard tiled floor. It has a covered Kitchenette and Bathroom attached to its North side and was built almost entirely by volunteers. Technical The main structure and roof consist of a roundwood timber frame, made from locally grown poplar. A rough stone foundation supports Wattle & Daub earth walls with inbuilt double-glazed windows. The roof is covered with Onduline sheets made from asphalt & recycled fibres. No concrete or cement was used.     THE NEST - multi-function space
Concept The Nest is a Multi-function space whose principal use will be as the Learning Space for the Natural Building School. The building was designed as a high quality space for a variety of uses from teaching, meetings, events or even sleepovers. Inside it is well lit, with generous views to Zahle and the anti-Lebanon mountains. The highly insulated walls and roof and passive-solar design combined with a sculpted earthen fireplace will make it comfortable year round. It has an annex with Kitchenette and Bathrooms, an attached outdoor shaded space and was built almost entirely by volunteers. Technical The main structure and roof consist of a roundwood timber frame, made from used electricity poles. A rough stone foundation supports Strawbale walls rendered with an earthen plaster and an additional lime based plaster outside. A Tadalakt waterproof lime plaster is also used in parts of the kitchen and bathroom. The Roof is covered with terracotta tiles and ceiling insulated with local straw and sheep’s wool. No concrete or cement was used.     WESTWOOD VALLEY ECO-VILLAGE MASTERPLAN
Concept Set inside the Westwood Valley Zahle project, the Eco-Village houses The Natural Building School but is also open to visitors wanting to stay in an ecologically sustainable space even for just a few days. The 3 terraces roughly follow 3 themes of; MAKE (Workshop & The Shed warehouse), EAT (Permaculture garden & Kitchen) & LIVE (Camping, Glamping, Dormitory & Private Cabins). Technical All buildings aim to have a minimal ecological impact, while using local natural or recycled materials and remaining low-cost. The principal building material is always earth, with a rough stone foundation. Natural insulation is used for all living areas to moderate the extreme summer and winter temperatures. A variety of techniques are applied depending on use and also to demonstrate a range of possibilities to visitors.     FERZOL AGRI CENTRE
Concept An ‘Organic’ building for a new organic farming teaching space in the Dar al Sadaqa Technical College in Ferzol. The main indoor area is used for equipment storage, teaching and office space. A separate ‘natural refrigerator’ room (highly insulated semi-underground) and Bathroom are part of the same structure. Technical A rough stone foundation supports an Adobe brick wall with natural fibre insulated. The roof structure is made from recycled timber topped with Onduline roof sheeting. Floors consist of a broken paving tile mosaic with a lime mortar. The inside is finished with an earth plaster (sealed with linseed oil at a lower level) and outside with a lime render. No concrete or cement was used.     BHOUSHA HOUSE
Concept A house on private land, nestled amongst a vineyard in a quiet valley. A place for the family to live in harmony with nature, following permaculture principles and actively reforesting the land. Built into the land, ‘cool-rooms’ will sit at the back of the house for natural food storage and also helping to regulate temperature extremes. The two bedrooms and open-plan kitchen and salon are all connected with gentle curving walls and arched openings. A flat roof with a shade structure on top provides further usable space and will extend to the terrace above creating a continuous flow between the levels. Arches and curved walls made of adobe earth bricks will marry traditional local architecture with organic shapes that follow and flow with the shape of the land. Large south-facing windows, fronted with glass greenhouses will provide impressive views, solar passive heating and year-round indoor gardening. Technical A 1m thick stone foundation supports a structural adobe brick wall wrapped with 45cm of plastered strawbales to benefit from high thermal mass and insulation. The interior structure consists of roundwood pine columns with cut-timber for the roof structure. Living spaces will have sealed earthen floors and kitchen and bathroom broken floor tile mosaic. An accessible green ‘living’ roof will be built up using a waterproof membrane topped by 10cm of earth. Local sheeps wool will be used to insulate the ceiling. No concrete or cement will be used.    TERRAPODS
Concept TerraPods, based in the mountains of Baskinta, is growing a biodiverse food forest, medicine and dye garden following agroecology principles. A Learning Centre will include a bio-design maker space, four residency units, a community kitchen and an EcoSouk marketplace. Building Baladi designed the semi-outdoor kitchen and Bathrooms and supported the construction phase. The kitchen, built radially around an ancient Walnut tree, is open on its front side, giving majestic views and an outdoor feel while still being protected from the elements and a clean space to cook, create and experiment. Technical The main structural columns, made from local round poplar, support a timber roof structure. A rough stone foundation supports Wattle & Daub earth walls. The roof is covered with Onduline sheets made from asphalt & recycled fibres.    |
