Corkhouse is the first of its kind. It is
the first house to be made using a solid cork
construction system. It is cork, no other
materials, no external finishes, no cavity,
no ther materials, no linings, no membranes.
Just cork, from the inside to the outside.
The house of English architect Mathew Barnett
Howland in Eton is built from 100% biodegradable
cork!
We’ve used it in the Corkhouse as a structure,
as insulation, as external finishes, and internal
finishes. So we can use a single material
to perform all the functions of the building
envelope that would normally be performed
by a range of different materials,
For years, Matthew and his team of architects
tried to work out how to use cork as a building
material. Until eventually, they figured it
out, fitting different elements together.
They're held in place by gravity alone!
The lovely thing about working with cork to
make a house is that it has got a really
strong range of tactile and sensually qualities.
So it is slightly soft and warm to the touch.
Visually it has a really nice texture and
it has got a lovely aroma, when you first
walk in to the house as well. It creates a
really strong rich sensually experience overall.
Cork lends the house a pleasant, earthy smell.
Giving it a warm, woody feel.
The way it's built, meanwhile, is almost remeniscent
of an ancient pyramid-shaped Mayan temple.
Because there is no lining in the space any
you are looking at the raw structure of the
building, so you get a very strong sense underneath
the pyramids of load. Of weight, actually
coming down towards you and around you and
that is quite a powerful architectural feeling.
Portugal is one of the biggest cork producers
in the world, with hundreds of thousands of
hectares of cork. They're home to a wealth
of biodiversity, and are great for the environment,
too: one ton of cork can retain up to 73 tons
of CO2! The trees can grow up to 200 years
old. The cork itself harvested by carefully
cutting off the tree's outer layer of bark
every nine years.
Today, fewer and fewer cork stoppers are being
used. But thanks to the rediscovery of cork
as a building material, the future of cork
plantations like these is now more secure.
In any case. A house built almost entirely
from cork is certainly a first! Even though
Matthew did add some wooden touches on the
inside....
It is a really nice mixture of light and dark.
We tried to create a space that is very atmospheric,
where you enjoy the shadows as much as the
light. We have little bits of copper, and
brass glinting. It is an antithesis of too
much more than architecture which is interested
in a large amount of light and white walls.
And in here the walls have a little bit of
texture, they're obviously darkish in tone.
Getting a good night’s sleep is pretty much
guaranteed here.... knowing your home has
such a spectacularly low CO2 footprint.
