The Pottering Shed

A beach-front studio and place of musing for renowned architect and independent developer Roger Zogolovitch.

One of the great things about being a specialist in designing products for manufacture, and one of the reasons I love what I do is the diversity of work that comes my way.

I was privileged enough to be brought onto this project to work alongside the award-winning architectural firm Studio MUTT on their development for pioneering architect Roger Zogolovitch. Named the Pottering Shed, the building consists of a cantilevered concrete base built into the sea-facing cliff with an engineered timber top.

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I was brought onto the project because of the work I undertook on the Walmer Road Yurts. The similarities between the two projects in terms of how they would be manufactured meant I was already an expert in the manufacturing principles. My role as ‘specialist fabrication architect’ in the project was to use this prior knowledge to convert the 2-dimensional architectural plan drawings supplied by MUTT into a full-scale 3D computer model.

The building was to be cut by machine (CNC) from a mix of 18 and 24mm birch ply into hundreds of ribs all finger-jointed together.

Once the model was near completion a test panel of the building was made to test the 1mm tolerance of the joints and the structural integrity of the unit once assembled.

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“The Pottering Shed is designed to feel like an upside down boat. A timber structure sits on a concrete shelf, projecting from the landscape over the beach below. The building looks out across Poole Harbour, providing a space for the client that recreates the other-worldly peacefulness of being out at sea.” – Studio Mutt

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