The team, lead by facilitators from the organisation REFUNC were becoming accustomed to a new way of designing and working. Pens, pencils and paper were left behind in favour of hands on testing with each material. The design soon began to evolve as timber members were held in position to outline a frame and tyres laid out to determine space and enclosure.
A definitive way forward began to materialise and as a result the team split into smaller groups specialising in different tasks lead by our resource persons; Jan and Boris of REUNC, Rufus Maurice, an exceptional local carpenter and Brett Jackson a local rammed earth specialist.
Using the pod constructed in 2009 as a starting point for both structure and aesthetic the design began to develop rapidly and organically. Part of the pod was deconstructed to create a blank canvas for testing new types of cladding using polycarbonate, car tyres and glass bottles with a lime mortar. By using the existing structure it allowed us to short-cut the testing process – saving time on building new frames and structures unnecessarily. Additional covering was also built into the eaves to improve the water-tightness of the existing structure and make it more conducive to work and inhabitation year-round.
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