An old-school construction trick used in Japan, the Swiss Alps, and probably other places, is to hold roofing down using heavy rocks.
UK-based design/research/building firm Material Cultures used this technique, as well as timber framing, in building this Rock Hut for client Grizedale Arts:
“The timber frame was built using green larch: a locally sourced, fast growing softwood milled at Graythwaite Estate sawmill, pegged together with oak dowels hewn from locally forested oak.”
“Eliminating the need for concrete footings, the structure sits on a dry-stone wall plinth, built under the guidance of John Atkinson using a technique which is ubiquitous across the Lake District for everything from farm walls to fine houses.”
“Uplift on the eaves of the structure is resisted by a series of boulders from the quarry at Broughton Moor chained to the rafters, and embedded into the earth banks either side of the structure.”
“A gate of irregular timber was provided by renowned oak swill craftsman Owen Jones MBE.”
“In its simplest form the act of building could be thought of as a gathering up of different elements of the landscape, or the orchestration of the movement and configuration of material from one place to another. This project explores how an understanding of material context and historic technologies can play a role in contemporary building as move towards a post-carbon future.”
The project was undertaken in collaboration with architect Takeshi Hayatsu, engineering firm Price & Myers, traditional oak craftsman Owen Jones and farmer/master stone wall builder John Atkinson.
www.core77.com
https://www.core77.com/posts/131795/Old-School-Construction-Trick-Using-Rocks-to-Hold-Roofing-in-Place?utm_source=core77&utm_medium=from_title
