The Rug Room

The brief was to provide the private client with a peaceful space in which to undertake their craft — rug making. Our team supported the independent architect, Nic Howett, in the design and delivery of the structure through structural engineering consultancy.

The building’s angled double-layer plywood structure is sleeved inside cor-ten steel cladding. The laser cut plywood walls of just 50mm thickness act as structural elements, with additional vertical and lateral support by an internal worktop and bookcase. A bonded, frameless glass panel at one end of the structure contributes to the racking resistance of the plywood box and gives uninterrupted views into the owner’s garden.

Fabricated offsite in a joiner’s workshop, the plywood structure was successfully test built prior to delivery. The room was then reconstructed upon six small pad foundations on the garden site — the plywood was assembled first, which was then glazed, insulates, and clad in cor-ten.