Our response to brief emerged from the Insulate Britain campaign and the need to shift the conversation from ‘we must insulate’ to ‘how’ and ‘with what’ in the context of a sustainable future for our homes.

With an explosion of processed, energy-hungry building materials made to satisfy ever more demanding building regulations, we wanted to use this as an opportunity to slow down and bring awareness to the actual materials we use to build our homes. Where do they come from? How are they made? Can they be recycled or broken down? Do they cause harm? or Could they be beneficial...?

Working with regenerative manufacturing company, Biohm, we proposed showcasing mycelium based insulation grown from commercial and agricultural by-products that would otherwise go to landfill. A carbon negative product with health benefits that could be an alternative to the current ‘go to’ petrochemical based PIR.

The form of the pavilion, would take the shape of the immediately recognisable domestic icon, the pitched roof, but with the twist of having four symmetrical gable ends, according to the principle of the Palladian Villa La Rotonda, as well as a response to its’ setting in the square and the four available approaches. The roof eaves would be set low to give visitors a unique and accessible perspective of the structure and it would be appreciable from both the ground and above from the surrounding buildings. Suggestions of domesticity, for example, a large fixed dining table and bench seats would provide a counterpoint to the urban setting and encourage visitors to gather, eat, play and rest much as would the home.

Finally, we wanted to make steps towards normalising the concept of closed loop construction. At the end of its life in Paternoster Square, we proposed that the pavilion could be moved to a permanent home elsewhere or dismantled and the materials distributed for onward use.