east sussex, uk
Warren farm - the treehouse
Project Build Length: 3 Weeks
Project Leaders: Joshua Peasley, Bella Colley and Harry Thorpe
Participants: Shuyu Wang, Rosanna Leonardi, Weronika Krol, Anushka Gupta, Olivia Harvey, Matthew Leer, Marta Domínguez Bretaña, Tom Gardner and Maximilian Costantino.
Project Brief: This project was the third in a series of outdoor education spaces at Warren Farm, in East Sussex. The Treehouse looked to place an emphasis on material experimentation and exploration during the design and build process. This project explored the potential for sustainable construction solutions, alongside alternative methods of education delivery.
Our partner, Cherry Wood Adventures, run outdoor activities for children and their grown-ups in the woods, fields and gardens of Sussex. The land owner and project collaborator, Longbridge, is a collective organisation that uses business as a tool for regenerating our planet and communities. Longbridge pioneers a circular economy philosophy - a framework that is restorative and regenerative by design to work with nature rather than against it.
The space, designed in partnership with the cohort at Cherry Wood Adventures, was built to be used by groups of all ages, aiding outdoor learning. The pupils will be working within the landscape around them and therefore the project must reflect this connection to nature.
Project Partners: Longbridge, Cherry Wood Adventures,
Photographs: Tom Gardener
Our Services: Brief Development, Concept Design, Developed Design, Technical Design, Construction, Project Management and Educational Workshop Delivery.
Sustainability Development Goals Supported:
Returning back to the farm for a third year, we were excited to explore a very different brief - The Treehouse. Working with the pupils outdoors, around the large oak tree, often a gathering place to learn from and in the shelter of, gave our team a huge amount of inspiration. We held a short series of workshop sessions, with children and their parents - exploring creative, collaborative learning and hearing about their expert experience of the surrounding context.
Using the design and construction process as a vehicle, this project allowed both the participants and pupils to work through elements of teamwork, creative thinking, analysing and presenting through self-led learning. Holding open sessions allowed free-reign when coming up with ideas around what they could build with the pupils, taking ownership of the space they were designing for.
The team took inspiration from both the natural world that surrounds the site and the opportunities that lay within the material palette provided to us. Responding to the pupil’s brief; that included elements of play, adventure and teamwork, we set about thinking of a structure that could tie everything together. With 4 pillars around the tree, the design created opportunities to change level, move closely around the tree and to hold varying different activities.
Each of the 4 structural pillars, made from recycled metal sheeting - once part of an old agricultural grain store - are made up of two cube modules. The fabricated cubes are orientated and arranged in a way that maximised the activity or function that each held. Functions, decided upon by the children, included seating to chat to friends, spaces to hide and spy, storage of trinkets found nearby and much more.
The design looks to interact with the tree, as closely as possible, whilst maintaining a ‘gentle touch’ approach. Through avoiding any fixings or physical attachment to the tree, the project allows for nature to continue to grow in the way that it should, respecting and observing it simultaneously. It was important to consider all users, so a variety of different access points were included; with ladders, steps, ramps, monkey bars and ropes all creating connections between the four structural pillars. All the children (and parents!) can enjoy the hidden world within the pillars, around the tree, and also the amazing views from platforms that bridge around the great oak.
We were on site for 15 full days, in which the pupils and parents worked alongside our team when they could. Tasks the children got stuck into involved setting out the plan, levelling of footings, marking, measuring and cutting timber and much more!
The Treehouse will now go on to form a creative and exciting learning space for Cherry Wood Adventures and its pupils to learn from the world that is around us all.
