|
The Glenn Howells design for the Savill Building provided an undulating leaf-shaped roof, or ‘gridshell’. Expertise from Green Oak Carpentry, and structural engineers Buro Happold, ensured that the timber elements were manipulated and locked into a shape creating this strong, yet flowing, roof. The Savill gridshell, clad in silver-grey oak, has a three-domed shape with a tubular steel beam running around the perimeter held in place by steel quadruped legs. The roof, made up of four layers with a regular one-metre grid of larch, was built using over 20 kilometres of timber, felled from sustainable forests on the estate. The aluminium roof system, above the larch grid, has a 160mm layer of insulation and was manufactured by Keybemo, This serves as a waterproof shell, and bears the oak rain screen. On the entrance elevation the gridshell is supported by an earth structure, housing ancillary service spaces, concealed by a green roof designed and planted with juniper. On the garden side, a curved glazed curtain wall provides spectacular views across the landscape. The construction started in 2003, opening its doors to the public in June 2006 |
