The first chestnut pole frame school block to be built in the UK has been erected again after fire destroyed the first version last year.
Designer and teacher Stephen Owen personally peeled the 130 chestnut trees to create the 200m² frame. The £300,000 classroom at Cranleigh School, Surrey is now being used for woodwork and design.
“I was determined never to let the fire conquer my dreams,” said Mr Owen. “I felt driven to build again right from the moment I arrived at the scene of the fire one shocking night last April. But this time it [the building] is even better. It’s vital to show our future homeowners, and the wider community, that going green doesn’t have to be complicated – or cost the earth.”
Recycled timber walls are insulated with newspaper and heating comes from locally-produced wood pellets made from sawdust.
Mr Owen’s project has attracted interest from many other countries, including Chile and South Africa.
The studio building was shortlisted in the International Structural Engineers Istruct08 awards.
The fire was believed to have been caused by a floor light igniting a dust sheet.
