BUMPERS OAST HOUSE
Bumpers Oast represents a 21st century riff on a local vernacular derived
from the houses used to dry hops as part of the beer-brewing process.
Four shingle-clad towers rise up from the natural
surroundings, creating an extremely low-energy home with
a bold contemporary aesthetic. The property has been
created for a family that moved to Kent 10 years ago and
almost bought an oast house at that time They enjoyed the
intimacy and idiosyncrasies of living in circular spaces and so
were happy to receive a proposal from ACME for a modern
interpretation.
The proportions of the tower roundels were based on a
traditional oast and they stand slightly apart from one
another; creating views inwards and outwards, and housing
private functions such as bedrooms, bathrooms, and service
spaces. The towers are all connected to a triple-height
central space that opens out to an orchard setting and
forms the heart of the house. This was made possible by
assembling the frame with thick timber modules, topped by
cones manufactured offsite and then craned into position.
Kent-style tiles have been used to create the exterior skin
in six shades, slowly fading from dark red at the base to light
orange at the tip. These were produced using local craft
skills and the tiling work was a huge technical challenge.
Every tile above eaves level has been individually cut, with
over 41,000 used across the whole facade.
The interior of the roundels is clad in plywood, as a
continuous surface for the cylindrical parts, and as
overlapping plywood shingles for the roof cones. Curved
furniture is built into the rooms where possible to make
the best use of the space. The kitchen needed to feel warm
among the harder surfaces downstairs, as the family see it as
an important gathering space. Timber was selected for this
reason and it has been employed to create bespoke curved
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