beararchitecture

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More to come. Formalising in a way, what I already naturally do. Materials of all scales, made into beautiful, tactile things.

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Bear Architecture

Bear Architecture is a small Architectural and Making Practice based on the West Coast of Scotland. 

Anna Wynne Qualified as an Architect in London in 2009, but also studied in Vancouver, the Czech Republic and Brighton. Anna comes from a background in Making and Construction, Anna has worked in many areas of traditional and non-traditional crafts including Blacksmithing, as a Prop-Maker at Glyndebourne Opera House and Architectural model making. Anna also worked hands-on on site for several large construction projects, so has a firm knowledge of the practicalities of building and materials. In London Anna worked for Hugh Broughton Architects in keeping with her passion for building in remote locations and extreme weather environments taking a keen interest in their Antarctic Halley project.

Bear Architecture is currently working on small scale domestic and renovation projects in Argyll, whilst researching for a new project looking at building detailing and materials for extreme/exposed weather environments (mainly cold, high altitude) and remote locations, where resources and access are limited. Anna is also working with traditional Scottish construction materials looking at ‘breathing structures’ using lime-hemp insulation on solid stone walls.

Anna carves green wood and works with leather, is a novice Permaculture practitioner, and a member of her local Mountain Rescue Team all of which influence her designs down to the last detail.

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A little look at The Stable @ DSB which has just been completed in Lochgoilhead, Argyll. 

Really pleased with the outcome of this little apartment. Featuring Scottish Larch and Oak, lime-hemp insulation, the skills of a local Blacksmith, a local tree surgeon/oak frame builder, local joiner, local lime specialist and a local (and very patient) plasterer/tiler and leather-craft.

Robust, simple and honest with tactile details.

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Spring forward

Bear Architecture is on a roll. I finally feel I am emerging from the fog of motherhood and getting back into the swing of things with a renewed excitement for Architecture and making exciting things. I have been lucky with some fell-in-my-lap small jobs for lovely clients, and my craft work has been busy too with some brilliant woodcraft commisions and drawing projects to keep me happy. Spring is in the air, a poly tunnel is to be ordered soon and Drumsyniebeg Farm is an amazing place to be based. Good times.

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The Barn at Drumsyniebeg Farm is a delight. The lime-hemp insulation is working a treat on the original mica-schist stone walls with the underfloor heating and the warmth of colour and atmospheric benefits of untreated Scottish larch on the ‘box’. Painting still needs to be done, with sample patches of lime paint with a stabilising additive working out well. There will be a stove in front of the larch as a cosy focal point in the room, and the lighting design is ready to install.

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Inside the barn at Drumsyniebeg Farm. 

New oak beams. 

The internal walls are insulated with an experimental mixture of lime, hemp fibre, and perlite (ground pumice stone). 3 coats built up to 75mm thickness and then a tougher skim coat with sand in the mix. 

Extensive external wall preparation by digging away the ground, adding new groundwater drainage and soakaways and new guttering to keep the walls as dry as possible, to be followed by lime pointing repairs and a breathable clear stone sealant. 

Scottish larch internal window details and oak and lead externally.

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Drumsyniebeg Farm, Lochgoilhead. Renovation and conversion of Grade C listed farmhouse and steading. The details are starting to come together, very happy with the results. Mica Schist, slate, lime, Oak, Larch, Lead and glass, what more could you need?

Progress

Getting so close to connecting the barn room with the kitchen! Arthur has nearly finished the outside details of oak and lead and the lovely straight lines of the new gutters make the house look so much more tidy. The big new windows in the kitchen and porch have let in a significant amount more light which is wonderful in the mornings.

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Lochgoilhead Village Hub Project research trip - Feasibility study currently being done for this exciting community project. Masterplanning for the site in early stages, in conjunction with another local Architect.

Hub Research Visits

As part of the ongoing research into ‘how to create a community hub’ the team have been granted some money from Highlands and Islands Enterprise to go on site research visits, where we get to visit other community projects around the country to see how they were established.

In August Anna and Joni went on a trip up north to Torriden and the Gareloch, where we visited two community owned projects.

Below Joni describes their visit to the Gale Centre.  

The Gale Centre in The Gareloch is  one of the first passive powered buildings in Scotland, it is a unique building to the area, made out of weathered timber beams and glass it is situated over looking Loch Gale.  It was designed so that the use of space could remain flexible and would have room to evolve. Presently it is used for various functions like a farmers market, craft fares, café, shop and meeting space. On a daily basis it contains small café around 5 tables that serve teas/coffees and cakes. A gift shop stocking local crafts. And a visitor center.  It has one large room with a room divider down the middle that they rent to Highlands and Islands University to run training courses for adults. They have another office that is used to run the Gale Center and other projects such as The Nappy Network and Shot in the Dark (Mental Health project). They run a volunteer programme to help people get back into work. They have space for a pop up shop and the café supports a cake baking co-operative.They have a small garden outside that supplies the café, this consists of about 6 raised beds.

The Gale Centre is a Social Enterprise that was set up by the Gareloch Development Trust in 2012. The Development Trust started in 1997 as part of a regeneration plan for the Wester Ross area. The Gale Center is owned by its members (the local public) and is run by the Board of directors. It employs a general manager and has another ten members of staff and a host of volunteers.

We met with the general manager Janet who has been with the project from the very start. She was employed by the Trust as a community development officer in 1997. She was able to give us lots of insightful information about starting up a community project and how to liase between Community Trusts, Boards and the local community. She gave us a  financial breakdown of the general running costs of the building and a list of objectives as a useful set of guidelines to be adhered to.

Which are:

External  Objectives (that affect locality)

Encourage all residents and visitors to reduce their environmental impact.

Strengthen the local economy.

Increase community cohesion and a greater sense of pride and increase the desire to live and work in the area.

Encourage all residents to take greater responsibility for the social welfare and resilience of their community.

Increase community ownership and control of local services.

Reduce the seasonality of our local services and community.

Internal Objectives (that affect facility users)

To be an open, accountable, democratic, community owned organisation.

To become financially secure, independent and sustainable.

To operate in a environmentally sustainable way, minimising negative impact on the environment.

To effectively manage the organisations human resources.

Encourage and demonstrate ethical business practices.

The Gale Center was the perfect example of what is possible for a small group of people in a community who have the skills and motivation to get together and create something that can have such an social, environmental and economic impact on its locality. The place itself was very inspiring to see and it was very useful to meet with them and discuss all of the hard work involved.

Post contributed by Joni Brown

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Himalayan Refuge Hut competition - I could not be more excited... Just need to find the time to make a worthy entry, and to learn from the potential research involved. Can't wait.

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Architecture for remote locations and extreme weather environments - a Passion

I have had a little breathing space this week, so decided to have an email purge and found some emails relating to my final dissertation research which I had somewhat forgotten about, but got excited about all over again. 

They relate to very varied threads I followed at the time, looking at subjects such as tree species selection for soil reinforcement and protection, and other geotechnical techniques of hillside stabilisation and landslide mitigation (relating to my final project on a mountainside in SW China). Stacked coppiced wood for building insulation and biomass fuels, working with Max Fordham to calculate their insulative qualities. Alpine vernacular building design, and material choice. Remote research facilities with varying levels of, and techniques for, self sufficiency, including Kokanee Glacier Cabin, BC and involvement with the project for the new British Antarctic Research Station. Availability of construction materials and labour skills in various remote locations. Glacier and snow structures. Avalanche dynamics. New timber construction techniques.

More recently I have also been looking at Scottish mountain farm diversification and ecology, building re-use and tourism issues. And the responsible renovation and insulation of traditional Scottish buildings.

There is so much to learn and get excited about in remote/high altitude Architecture, and I aim to direct my energies towards research and projects that allow responsible access to remote places, for research and enjoyment, by working with the specific local environments and materials available, as well as careful use of appropriate construction technologies, geotechnical and biodynamic understanding.

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Inspiration for Lochgoilhead Primary School's new Outdoor classroom! These ones in Inverary have a fire pit and grass roof.

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Introduction to Drumsyniebeg Farm. Home. Stone freshly unveiled, painstakingly... from behind layers of modern weathershield paint. Now the walls can breath. Only the window surrounds will be picked out (in a breathable pigment paint). (Foreground shows the 'Linus House' - built from some of the cottages floorboards).

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First spoons (Hazel) now slightly addicted to carving...

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http://www.perth.uhi.ac.uk/specialistcentres/cms/Pages/default.aspx

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Burning Man is an annual event and temporary community based on radical self expression and self-reliance in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.

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Anna Wynne is an Architect living in Argyll, Scotland.

Contact:   anna@beararchitectu.re

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