Unique Circular Garden Rooms, modular school buildings and lodges - Handcrafted in the UK
One definite perk of investing in a Rotunda Garden Room is that you have the opportunity to create your own unique space from the moment that you start engaging in conversation with us! The creative process behind each and every Rotunda is unique and this is one of the elements our clients most enjoy about the sales process. Not only do we sit down and plan each and every detail around you and your garden (position of the light switches and electrical sockets/window position/door opening/layout…etc!) but your paint finish is customised too! If you love a particular colour shade in your house, we’ll match it! If you have a painting which inspires you, we’ll pick a colour from it! A completely unique and creative customer journey which we doubt you’d find with any other garden room manufacturer. Interestingly, no two people are ever the same and as a direct consequence each Rotunda is completely unique! A couple of weeks ago we built & installed a Rotunda internally finished in a deep soulful red; this week we’re off to Hertfordshire with a blue Rotunda! (Interior, of course!) Other colours coming up on the Summer installations spectrum range from a dusky green to a bright daffodil yellow! What does the colour you choose say about you and the space you’re creating? It’s fascinating to think that the colour we surround ourselves in gives off a different vibrational frequency and affects our mood and activity within our garden building. Here are a few guidelines on colour and how it affects our psychology! (Information extracted from http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours)
RED. Physical Positive: Physical courage, strength, warmth, energy, basic survival, ‘fight or flight’, stimulation, masculinity, excitement. Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain. Being the longest wavelength, red is a powerful colour. Although not technically the most visible, it has the property of appearing to be nearer than it is and therefore it grabs our attention first. Hence its effectiveness in traffic lights the world over. Its effect is physical; it stimulates us and raises the pulse rate, giving the impression that time is passing faster than it is.
BLUE. Intellectual. Positive: Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness, reflection, calm. Negative: Coldness, aloofness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness. Blue is the colour of the mind and is essentially soothing; it affects us mentally, rather than the physical reaction we have to red. Strong blues will stimulate clear thought and lighter, soft blues will calm the mind and aid concentration. Consequently it is serene and mentally calming. It is the colour of clear communication.
YELLOW. Emotional Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, emotional strength, friendliness, creativity. Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety. The yellow wavelength is relatively long and essentially stimulating. In this case the stimulus is emotional, therefore yellow is the strongest colour, psychologically. The right yellow will lift our spirits and our self-esteem; it is the colour of confidence and optimism.
GREEN. Balance Positive: Harmony, balance, refreshment, rest, restoration, reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium, peace. Negative: Boredom, stagnation, blandness, enervation. Green strikes the eye in such a way as to require no adjustment whatever and is, therefore, restful. Being in the centre of the spectrum, it is the colour of balance – a more important concept than many people realise. When the world about us contains plenty of green, this indicates the presence of water, and little danger of famine, so we are reassured by green, on a primitive level.
VIOLET. Spiritual Positive: Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, luxury, authenticity, truth, quality. Negative: Introversion, decadence, suppression, inferiority. The shortest wavelength is violet, often described as purple. It takes awareness to a higher level of thought, even into the realms of spiritual values. It is highly introvertive and encourages deep contemplation, or meditation.
ORANGE. Dynamic. Positive: Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundance, fun. Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity. Since it is a combination of red and yellow, orange is stimulating and reaction to it is a combination of the physical and the emotional. It focuses our minds on issues of physical comfort – food, warmth, shelter etc. – and sensuality. It is a ‘fun’ colour.
It’s a worth having a think about the type of experience you’re looking for when you’re looking through the colour chart and envisioning spending time in your Rotunda – i.e. green = relaxing garden room, blue = garden-office or studio, red = music room, violet = meditation/yoga room! Just another little thing to get excited about!
A shift in perspective…… windows in a modular building
Noun | 1. | window – a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air |
Our clients are often surprised to discover that their modular building windows are made to order, handcrafted by a local joinery firm who excel at detailed bespoke joinery and create a stunning curved sill which mirrors the external curve of the building.
Each and every garden modular building which leaves our workshop has had the windows designed to be suit a particular view or purpose, sited at the appropriate distances from each other and a specific size to suit our clients vision for a building they’ll be spending a great deal of time in.
The importance of having this option cannot be underestimated. Building in the round brings the unique advantage of being able to ‘rotate’ your Rotunda and play with the position of the doors and the windows which is quite impossible with a rectilinear counterpart.
Most contemporary square or rectangular garden rooms boast a fully glazed frontage, either bi-fold, sliding doors; or UPVC casements. This is wonderful if your garden-building is sitting squarely in the rear of the garden with no view of particular interest anywhere other than the front but what if one were siting their garden room adjacent to a field, meadow or sea-view to the rear/side or even a full panoramic setting – must they exclude certain views because these happen to be at the ‘back’ of the building? Does the door always have to be at the front? How creative can one be with a rectangle? Let’s face it, a box will always be a box.
Fortunately, for us, this never presents a problem; you see, the round is like a clock-dial. A wonderful opportunity presents itself when we can move the hands to any direction we might choose, or even better have as many hands as we like, pointing in every direction. One of our clients aligned her Rotunda with the directions of the magnetic compass points to meet her feng shui objectives. We commissioned some beautiful little ‘north, south, east & west’ carvings and positioned these little plaques along the internal roof-line to represent compass points and indicate which direction one may be facing as they move around within the building. Another client has asked us to design a Rotunda with double glazed windows positioned all the way around the whole perimeter of the building. Most of our clients have a hedge or a fence they’d like to keep out of view so we position the windows to align with the view.
Not the view aligning with the windows!
“The Burrow” a 4.5m Rotunda modular building which you can see below (currently being constructed) has just three floor to ceiling windows positioned as a bay configuration next to the door. This is just a small example of how windows can make a massive impact. Your view, your building and ultimately it should be your ideals and your vision which can be interpreted, designed, created and installed to suit your needs…… perfectly.
Below is a list of standard UK window sizes… these are a great starting point when considering what size might suit your Rotunda modular building.
• Window heights are 450mm, 600mm, 750mm, 900mm, 1050mm, 1200mm, 1350mm and 1500mm (17¾in, 24in, 29½in, 35½in, 41¼in, 47¼in, 53⅛in and 59in).
• Window widths are 488mm, 630mm, 915mm, 1200mm and 1770mm (19¼in, 24¾in, 36in, 47¼in and 69¾in).
Essentially, our ‘standard’ windows which form part of the package for a Rotunda are 900mm high and 630mm wide with the option to upgrade to full height (1500mm high) but with the right amount of imagination, you can disregard these sizes and make your own size, to suit you, to suit your garden and to suit your activities within the building.
Call us now if you have any questions relating to your preferred modular building window configuration and we’ll be happy to chat through your designs!
ps. fear not, a UPVC window, will never (ever) find its way into a natural, timber-framed Rotunda modular building.
Until then, enjoy the sun & enjoy your garden!
Blogpost written by Gemma
Rotunda Living – Discovering the Spirit of a Space
A few months ago we relocated our main offices from a beautiful rural space in the Cheshire countryside to an industrial estate just outside of Stockport. Whilst it was extremely sad to move from working in the warm, creative space of Luna, our show model Rotunda, we knew that is was the right thing to do as it also gave us the opportunity to grow our manufacturing unit as well as having the facilities to add more people to the Rotunda Family.
In true Rotunda style we had to have the most unusual unit available, and this came in the form of a converted roof-space at the back of the estate, overlooking a green bank of trees, flowers, and shrubs; Even though we were out of the countryside, we still found ourselves a lovely view. The office itself had been the showroom for a fitted furniture company, and whilst the craftsmanship of everything was extremely high, the heavy black wood coupled with the bare magnolia walls gave the rooms an imposing, straight edged, monochromatic atmosphere that definitely didn’t suit the softer, natural curves of Rotunda. Nevertheless, like a Rotunda, it had boundless potential to become anything we desired.
Several weeks passed and we were finding it really difficult to connect with our environment. Things were moving along smoothly enough, but there was still a sense of being unsettled, as though everything was only temporary. Finally we decided we had to make some changes and spent a week painting, clearing, and re-organising the office. The transformation was profound, and we instantly felt like we were in a place where we could thrive, but there was one more step we felt we needed to complete; we needed a proper energy space clearing.
The event took place on a Sunday afternoon when there would be no distractions, and lasted well into the evening. We were fascinated to watch as all of the negativity from the previous occupants was dispelled and the walls were infused with powerful Rotunda energy. The next morning it felt as though the entire building had breathed a giant sigh of relief and suddenly the space was alive. It was as though the very spirit of Rotunda had moved in, and even though we had found ourselves in a square environment, the power and embodiment of living in the round had managed to transfer itself into the office.
We have always been astounded by the number of testimonials we have received from clients, expressing the life changing effect that being in a Rotunda has had on them. We believe very strongly that every Rotunda is its own unique entity and our clients have always confirmed that there is indeed a very special energy, completely distinctive to their personal round space. It has therefore amazed us that this ‘Rotunda Effect’ is so strong, we have been able to apply it to a square building. Having spent so much time in the office before the transformation we were able to immediately recognise the difference.
It is important to recognise the skill involved in understanding space, particularly in clearing it of any imprints left by previous occupant. We have been fortunate to work with renowned architect and professional space clearer, Beverly Wood, who has already metamorphosed a number of client’s lives just through her work with their environment. It is worth noting that not every space clearer is legitimate and we thoroughly encourage anyone considering this practice to do their homework before committing to it.
We know that we are still only at the start of our journey developing the office into a true, creative Rotunda environment and our next challenge will be creating the actual furnishings. However, we are excited that we now have a clean, and positive canvas on which to work.
Blogpost written by Rhiannon Webster
Spring has come round again!
Brit. adverb: round
- 1. so as to rotate or cause rotation; with circular motion
The cycles of the seasons – Spring has come round again!
Well, yesterday was officially the first day of spring (or so we’re told by google) and national happiness day and there are few who know this quite so well as the team over at the Rotunda HQ!
As the snowdrops bloom in their tightly packed little clusters and the first bright daffodils rise up through their murky winter abodes we have been busily packing, clearing, hauling and coercing our way from Dreamcatcher Farm to our new facilities in Hazel Grove, Stockport.
Many a truck have been hired to haul the seemingly never-ending mountains of equipment, tools, timber and semi-constructed Rotundas; and today the team collapsed in relief as they surveyed the new set-up; (amazingly) back into full production with minimum disruption, following the installation of our most recent installation in Congleton of the stunning 6.5m Rotunda “Aurora”. It seems appropriate and timely that our little garden room enterprise has been re-shuffled, re-sorted and completely re-configured for the summer season in the early days of Spring.
2014 has already been a monumental year for all of us at Rotunda and we can only imagine what’s in store over the coming months as the new workshop is stocked with more joinery tools, beautiful timber, more enthusiastic employees and of course, (the jewel in our crown) beautiful hand-crafted Rotundas. We’re already filling our June and July production slots way ahead of schedule and thankfully we are now fully prepared for the increase to our production capacity due to the additional space in our new workshop! This new beginning will enable us to make more dreams come true, for all of our clients. A new beginning beckons and we’re pretty certain that we can see some curves on that horizon….!
If you were thinking about re-configuring your outdoor space and re-structuring your working environment we’d (naturally!) gently nudge you in the direction of the cycles of the seasons and the natural circular patterns in nature; if you find yourself inspired please do give us a call! Until then… enjoy the Spring!
Blogpost written by Gemma Roe.
Circle of Learning? Modular Eco-Classrooms for the Future
Eco-Classrooms – Circle of learning is more than a figure of speech
- learning : noun 1.the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience, or being taught.
- teacher : noun plural noun: teachers
- 1.a person who teaches, especially in a school.
It’s no secret that the built environment is continuously shaping your thoughts, your mood, your productivity and your health. God only knows what it’s doing on a metaphysical level! Environmental Psychologists and Interior Designers certainly share the same passion; the impact of spaces which nurture and support their human inhabitants. I believe the two professions are more similar than most people would care to recognise.
So let me ask you this; which of the numerous built environments that we utilise on a regular basis could possibly be more important than those which support our children whilst they learn?
There have been countless studies of optimum office environments and eco-buildings for productivity but surely the humble classroom has to be one of primary importance, let there be no debate about this where we’re concerned! We firmly believe that a round eco-classroom offers a perfect environment for learning!
Anyone who’s familiar with the works of Rudolf Steiner (an Austrian philosopher, educationalist, social reformer, and architect) would be acutely aware of his unusual architectural style (no right angles if you please, these are CREATIVE spaces!) and the legacy he left in education. His education philosophy made him a prominent figure and Waldorf Schools are still respected by many.
Such visionaries will grace our planet from time to time and upset the balance of what we ‘think we know’ and I absolutely yearn for another Steiner to really shake things up at this point in our evolutionary development. It is about time that architects and designers stand firm to their values and design exclusively around the intended use of the building, to enhance the experience of those who will be spending time in it. This is especially significant for Educational Buildings within schools, nurseries or universities.
One school actively thinking in ‘circles’ purely to enhance it’s capacity as a learning environment is showcased in a very short video clip on the BBC Learning Zone website which I’d urge any architecture fanatic to watch!
So what’s the secret to creating an inclusive, productive and enhanced eco-classroom learning environment? To me, it’s an absolute no-brainer that the design process includes figuring out what happens in the space and scouring the internet and talking to teachers and psychologists to gleam information on any research which has been carried out on the effect of learning environments and seating patterns.
Some research which has led us to believe that a circle is the ideal configuration for interaction is echoed in the report which highlights two studies which compared rows to a circular seating arrangements carried out in 2000.
In a nutshell, Marx, Furher and Hartig “investigated the relationship between seating arrangements and the question-asking patterns of ten year olds. They found that students asked their teacher significantly more questions when they were seated in a semi-circle than in rows.
As one of those who disliked school immensely, I believe that learning can not only be enhanced by the environment and teaching methods but also by promoting friendships and shared experience. Below, I have extracted part of an article which jumped out at me recently which echoes my thoughts on forging bonds and facilitating learning.
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“Teachers are using a traditional technique to help students communicate with one another as a way to build bonds that will foster learning and help them stay in school.”
“It’s story time at Amelia Earhart Continuation School, a place where high school students who have ditched class, flunked out or otherwise fallen behind in their academic credits come to catch up.
On this day, the students in Nancy Stringer’s English class sit in a circle. As they pass around a “talking piece”, they share stories of elementary and middle school. It may seem simple, but sharing stories in this way — a practice known as “council” — has made a huge difference in their lives, building strong bonds that have helped them stay in school. Cultures worldwide have long used speaking and listening circles — most notably, Native Americans. But now a modernized form, developed by the nonprofit Ojai Foundation, has spread to 12,000 students via 600 trained teachers in more than 60 schools, many of them in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Joe Provisor, who helped launch the program in the district in 2006, said research shows that strong school relationships are critical for a student’s success. “This is bringing humanity back to the schools,” said Provisor, a teacher advisor with the district’s office of curriculum,
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For those of us who might have been bullied, excluded or misguided at school; our experience and our education may have been improved remarkably if our school had adopted an approach similar to the one used by Amelia Earheart. Perhaps if this type of inclusive and supported open-interaction were promoted at all levels of education there would be no need for a ‘continuation school’ and just think about what this might do to reflect crime rates and youth offending statistics in the UK?
With a background in Primary School Education, the team at Rotunda Living are enormously excited about the impact an Eco-Classroom Rotunda could make as a unique eco-classroom environment and we’re keen to see how the circular environment can improve the effectiveness of your school or nursery. Let’s work together to promote learning and care for our children.
We’re here when you need us!
Natural vs. Affordable – What is the Value of Conscious Manufacturing?
Natural vs. Affordable
Someone asked me recently how we could make the Rotunda more affordable for the average consumer. A crucial question, and one which has been weighing heavily on my mind for quite some time. It drove me to sit down and analyse the materials within buildings in terms of cost and how we might reduce this.
Frustratingly enough, all of the natural elements which I personally really care about are the ones which cost us the most. Hemp insulation is a big one, as are the hand-crafted Douglas Fir doors and windows, not to mention the Zero Formaldehyde Ecologique MDF & PLY components.
A friend told me yesterday that ‘Rowland Homes’ in Leyland were giving a talk to a school group on one of their building sites yesterday; a demonstration on ‘How to build a house’. Core components? You guessed it, Breeze Blocks, Polystyrene Insulation and Bricks. My blood ran cold. That’s how they build a house, driven purely by profit margins and fast build times – but to what cost? The scientific community are already aware that both formaldehyde and polystyrene are toxic to human health and are known carcinogens. And that’s just in the building, what about the manufacturing process? What about the disposal and degeneration of these materials in the landfill sites and waterways? And let’s not even talk about the embodied energy of the bricks they use and the amount of carbon released to produce them. Given that we now live in a time where the natural environment should be the primary focus of our attention (especially within education) it’s questionable that this talk is of much benefit to the next generation (who almost certainly will be suffering the consequences of such blatant disregard for the environment for the sake of profits).
Only this morning, Radio 4 were discussing the findings of the MacMillan Cancer Trust that by 2020 50% of us will have or will have experienced cancer in our lifetimes.
This only serves to harden my resolve. Yes, of course I want my business to be successful, but do I really have to utilise cheap and hazardous materials in order to be competitive in the marketplace? Or do I stand firm and stay true to my values? Where does the “value” lie exactly?
If we talk of the detrimental cost to the natural environment and our health then I’d say that it’s costing us greatly to keep things cheap.
Who’s picking up the tab here for cheap buildings? If it’s not you, the consumer, and it’s certainly not the manufacturer then who’s paying supporting that deficit? It’s the soil, it’s the local wildlife, it’s the ocean-life with the seas filled to the brim of disintegrating plastics (which is ending up in our food chain, incidentally) and it’s the waterways and our landfill sites.
The “value” then, of using natural materials is of great importance and it reduces the “cost” to our health and the natural world.
So then, this poses the question, which to we value more? Are we actually perceiving cost accurately? Furthermore, are we, as consumers (and indeed, manufacturers) truly weighing up the costs of our profit margins or underestimating the value of what matters most – our planet?
Blogpost written by Gemma Roe.
The Psychology of Space – The Circle
The Psychology of Space – The Circle
Last Sunday a good friend of mine gave me a newspaper cutting of an article featured in the Daily Telegraph she’d seen the previous week entitled “The magic of King Arthur’s Round Table”. I read on with fascination as the narrative described why a round table is the best seating arrangement because seating people in a circle means they are less likely to be argumentative. “When people are placed in a circle they feel like they “belong”, but put them in rows and the situation is more likely to bring out individuality. University professors in Canada sat volunteers around different shaped tables and analysed their reactions to advertising. They found that those people seated in a circle or oval were more positive about adverts which conveyed groups such as family or friends.”
“The findings of this study could prove useful for designing rooms such as classrooms, waiting rooms and restaurants.”
This is a regular topic for discussion at Rotunda Living, as we are aware that a circular room brings it’s occupants together like no other indoor environment can.
Just for a little fun, I’ve included a breakdown of the “Psychological effects of Shapes” obtained from an architectural college study for those of you who might also be fascinated by the effect of form in the built environment.
Psychological Effects of Shapes
Circle
Connection, community, wholeness, endurance, movement, safety, perfection
Refers to the feminine: warmth, comfort, sensuality, and love.
Rectangle / Square
Order, logic, containment, security.
Rectangles provide a fourth point, which is mathematically the foundation for 3D objects, suggesting mass, volume, and solids.
Triangle
Energy, power, balance, law, science, religion.
Refers to the Masculine: strength, aggression, and dynamic movement.
Blogpost written by Gemma Roe.
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