Why Round? Why Round Houses?
Last week I was incredibly fortunate to spend an afternoon immersed in a deep and thought-provoking philosophical debate with another female Roundhouse Builder. What a joy it was, as two of the only Roundhouse builders in the entire of the UK to connect and share our inexhaustible passion for our craft and the meaning behind our work.
Annabel is an earthen, cob and hemp Roundhouse builder, she and her husband share a true reverence for working with the earth to mould and sculpt a more traditional style of Roundhouse for their clients and community projects. We, are an entirely different animal, working with wood, sheet materials and modern day industrial machinery; capitalising on modular construction techniques to deliver a more contemporary interpretation of the Roundhouse in a much shorter time-frame.
The two styles of Roundhouse Eco-Building mirror each other, from the traditional to the contemporary. What was so inspiring about our debate was the fact that we also seemed to mirror each other in our motivations and objectives.
We both believe that the Roundhouse is a building which nurtures, heals, connects and inspires us all. As an echo of an ancient world, far out of reach and with little in common to modern day humans. It acknowledges their existence, their close connection to the natural world and their ability to use only what they needed and not consume more. Whereas Annabel is coming from an artisan and sculptors perspective, I carry with me a profound sense of admiration for the pre-neolithic people and a sense of obligation to sprinkle the philosophy of the beautiful Roundhouse all over the UK. Why? To remind us all that we are humans. And we are mammals. Co-existing on this planet with many others who we too readily forget.
I laughed out loud when Annabel explained her bewilderment at the fact that all other species on this planet live in nests, dens and burrows and in none of these will one find a straight line or a right angle. For I often say the exact same thing! How many others feel like we do, I wonder?
Incidentally, I discovered only a few years ago that ‘Larkwhistle Farm’ , my childhood home, the organic farm I was raised on in Berkshire; is the site of an Iron age Roundhouse settlement. Documented by Oxford Archeology Unit. Does this mean, that there is a more profound message here?
Is our life’s mission pre-determined somehow?
I certainly think so. I believe that to mean far more than to be merely shrugged off as a coincidence. I have yet to find any other entrepreneur in the UK who’s primary motivation is to bring the Roundhouse back on a national scale. Is it a coincidence that I was playing on the fields of a Roundhouse settlement for my entire childhood? I took this as validation of the mission and the team and I have remained firmly on track with our crusade.
For it was inspirational to realise that we are not on this crusade alone. There are others, alongside us, driven by their belief systems and ethics to craft eco classrooms and eco-buildings, silently and slowly imprinting their philosophy into the shape of our built communities. From our perspective, we can see the shift taking place in the Education sector all over the UK. The demand for locally sourced, energy efficient and natural structures has transitioned from an inquisitive ideaology to a deafening rallying cry from ethical and eco-conscious headteachers and governing bodies; those who demand a better future for our children.
What we are all collectively doing, those of us in the eco-building sector is transforming the ‘functional’ to the ‘aspirational’.
Hopefully we can we emerge from the anthropocene, into a more, conscious and considerate era.
The longitudinal effect on the lifespans of these young people may ripple out over the future years and decades to inspire a generation of people who understand, appreciate and seek out eco-buildings and roundhouses for themselves when they are adults.
In the same way, that portable steel buildings have become embedded into the minds of all people my generation, it is our hope, and dream that a new way of building and working will be encoded into the young and ambitious minds of the next generation.
If you would like to talk to me or anyone on our team further about why we build in the round, for the round and nothing but the round, please do drop us a line! I will be only too happy to enjoy a philosophical debate with you, too!
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