British architect Michael Dillon has designed and built his own low-cost garden studio in southeast England using low-carbon materials that include wood-fibre board and hemp.
The design centres around natural and recycled materials, and minimises the use of concrete, toxins, plastics and glues.
“The Garden Studio was an exercise for me in self-building from scratch, and testing how easy it is to source alternative, recycled and local materials,” Dillon told Dezeen.
“It isn’t just an architect’s studio, it’s also a continuing experiment into how buildings can be made without so much waste and carbon. All this to better inform my emerging practice,” he said.
“A large amount of time was spent researching suppliers to get the right materials and grouping together deliveries,” said Dillon.
“Drawing the project up in detail and working to standard panel sizing allowed for me to cut down wastage and keep over-ordering to a minimum.”
The structure sits on foundations of timber and recycled plastic matting. This meant it could be installed without planning permission, under permitted development rights.
Ten tranquil garden studios designed for work and play
The architect now uses the garden studio as his workspace three or four days a week and commutes into London the rest of ...
...the time. Featuring a built-in desk, the dual-aspect space offers Dillon a view of a valley and woodland while he works.
“It seemed a far more inspiring alternative to a traditional office in a more urban location,” he said.
“It is a calm place to draw and to be creative, with ample space for making models at 1:10 scale and photographing them.”