Works are progressing well at Old Wardour Castle in Salisbury where our ticket office project for English Heritage is nearing completion. I recently shared these two images together on social media to illustrate the evolution from concept to reality (a long process that can often detour away on tangents for any number of practical reasons), and in this instance is particularly pleasing to see our original ideas for the cladding of the structure surviving with such clarity.
The first image is a detailed prototype model that our talented Architectural Assistant Joe F made at 1:20 scale – a really good scale for testing the more subtle details of a façade materiality that is often not possible to interrogate through 1:50 or 1:100 massing models. The model gives a good sense of the relief that the simple layered cladding setting out will achieve – a decorative richness of overlapping solid and void won from a series of economic standardised board dimensions.
The second image is the latest view of the handiwork of the talented carpentry team from Ken Biggs Contractors. This is always an exhilarating time on site as the architecture begins to emerge week by week – and (confident though we generally are) never 100% sure that a concept will still be legible after the robust realities of a messy construction process and the hectic operation of a busy building. If nothing else we are particularly gratified by the final choice of green for the timber stain – not a decision to be taken lightly and can really make or break the final result in it’s landscape context!
A few notable items have changed between the two images. First, the spacing of the boards and their stainless steel fixings, which we fine-tuned in collaboration with the technical advisors at TRADA, to ensure the overlapping boards avoided any potential damage from differential movement between the timbers. Secondly, the depth of the horizontal ‘frieze’ that caps the colonnade, which was increased to accommodate the more mature meadow planting for the green roof – rather than a lighter sedum alternative. This has proven to be a great decision as the planted roof is already bursting with green growth and colourful flowers – softening long views of the new structure from the castle towers and diversifying the ecology in the otherwise protected listed pleasure garden.
The building is due to complete and open to the public in early August.
Charlie