Overlooking Poole Harbour, in Dorset, UK, ‘The Pottering Shed’ is designed by Studio Mutt to feel like an upside down boat. The timber building sits on a concrete shelf, projecting from the landscape over the beach below. It encloses a space to write, draw, print, and collage – what the client refers to as their ‘analogue activities’ – and seeks to recreate the ‘other-worldly peacefulness of being out at sea,’ as the Liverpool-based architecture and design studio explains. On its exterior, the shed is covered in sculptors’ scrim, vertical battens and a grid of locally-sourced, scallop shell ornaments. Meanwhile, inside, the 30 sqm space achieves a feeling of spaciousness thanks to the height of its pitched roof and the light hues on its walls and furniture.

all images by Jim Stephenson

Studio Mutt developed ‘The Pottering Shed’ as an analogue building to house the client’s ‘analogue activities’. Both inside and out, the small building is designed to feel like an upside down boat, while providing visual and climatic connection to the harbor. The timber volume is topped with a pitched roof, whose geometry transforms and reduces in size to become diminutive in height at the rear, sitting against a new dry-stone retaining wall in the planted landscape. Meanwhile, the side facing the sea features a shell-glad gable elevation, while the entire structure extends over the beach below. The interior features recycled timber shuttering planks used as flooring, while the front door, complete with portal window, is reclaimed from a nearby shipyard. Finally, steel windows with a central pivot, horizontal opening generate fully flexible and variable ventilation, and are painted in light blue.

Along with the challenging site constraints, the client’s ‘analogue activities’ have driven the design and materiality of the project. The collage-like appearance of the building stems from the ambition to celebrate its construction. ‘First a concrete base was cast into the sloping cliff face, respecting the SSSI environment of Poole Harbour,’ notes the British architecture studio. ‘Next, CNC-cut plywood cassettes were manufactured off site to 1mm tolerance, with etched part codes proudly displayed. Assembly on-site was then quick and simple, with cassette panels bolted together in a matter of days.’

the side facing the sea features a shell-glad gable elevation

the shed was waterproofed with a brushable liquid rubber coating

grid of locally-sourced, scallop shell ornaments

the interior feels spacious thanks to the height of the building’s pitched roof

floor made of recycled timber shuttering planks combined with light hues on the walls and furniture

name: The Pottering Shed architect: Studio Mutt location: Poole, UK area: 30 sqm executive architect: Rebecca Granger specialist fabrication architect: Bluedot Design structural engineer: Structure Haus, Heyne Tillett Steel contractor – groundwork: Morris Construction contractor – timber structure: Tekne contractor – specialist facade: Charlie + Andrew Clifford

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