HomeGrownCabin takes shape

24 May 2022


The HomeGrownCabin, the latest in the Grown in Britain research and development programme has been taking shape at the Birling Estate.

The project, funded by FC Innovation, with partners including London Metropolitan University, Birling Estate and Mule Studios, has set out to explore innovations using sweet chestnut coppice and ash to make construction components and structures that can be upscaled.

Despite the ongoing pressures on timber supply chains at present, GiB-certified sawmills and estates have delivered an exceptional service for the more standard construction timbers as well as the non-standard coppice timber. This has ranged from graded C24 Douglas fir from East Brothers Timber for the substructure, to large section, 4m-long sweet chestnut poles from Birling Estate for the cabin walls and floor.

GiB says a transparent and cohesive supply chain for ash and sweet chestnut has been demonstrated from the forest floor to the construction site and the first sweet chestnut SIPs have been built and are being made into “a stunning, demountable cabin”.

The first sweet chestnut SIPs have been built
The cabin is demountable