Flat House

Cambridgeshire

Situated at Margent Farm, a rural R+D facility developing bio-plastics with hemp and flax, Flat House is a ground breaking radically low embodied carbon house. The three bedroom house was designed with the aim of prototyping pre-fabricated sustainable hemp-based construction to be applied to larger scales of house-construction. Working closely with engineers and material specialists we developed a prefabricated panel infilled with hemp grown on 20 acres of the farm. The elements were raised into place in just two days.

The building is comprised of a series of linked spaces that transition from a large open single glazed hot house to a double height yet intimate living space and then into two stories of sleeping accommodation. The new building was built within permitted development and takes the footprint of an existing barn. The collaboration extended to the creation of a brand new hemp fibre cladding product that was used for the first time on the building.

The project was critical to the inception of Material Cultures, a research and design organisation led by Paloma Gormley, George Massoud and Summer Islam and which now holds the continued IP for the project. Any information or press requests should be directed to info@materialcultures.org.

Design Team:

Paloma Gormley, Niall Gallacher

Construction, Project Management and technical consultancy by:

Oskar Cooper

Kate Mins

Will Stanwix

Henry Stringer

Simon Keeves

Jack Case

Images by:

Oskar Proctor