What happens when you take a William Morris style arts and crafts design and mix it with modern day digital fabrication?
For this project in Muswell Hill, North London, DHaus were commissioned to design a rear extension to a 1960s purpose built new build. We were also tasked with refurbishing the ground floor and upgrading all of the homes insulation in order to make it as passive as possible with in the tight budget, Air source heat pumps, underfloor heating and triple glazed windows as well as passive house rated insulation were specified,
We worked with a specialist low energy consultant that measured all the site parameters and helped us specify all the best available low energy kit to get us as efficient as possible while maintaining all the high quality user needs like hot water and fast heating.
The first thing that caught our eyes as architects going on their first site visit was the existing façades, they were clad in a kind of concrete shingle, we were fascinated with this architectural dress, and wanted to see if we could blend the new rear extension with the rest of the shingle house.
When researching shingle designs went down a rabbit hole that lead us into a William Morris arts and crafts wonderous place.
We knew immediately that this was going to be an experiment with passive design, a homage to arts and crafts and an experiment to use the latest digital fabrication technology to see if it would be possible with an arts and craft design which is typically the opposite.
Arts and crafts is really what it says on the tin, the beauty of handwork, and the integration of art into daily life. It opposed the industrial mass production of goods which digital fabrication finds itself, and why people believe it led to the decline of quality and the alienation of workers from its movement.
William Morris, a key figure in the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th century, championed traditional craftsmanship,
While Morris might have been sceptical of modern digital fabrication, the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement can indeed be compatible with contemporary digital tools.
DHaus wanted to see if we could recreate the individuality and uniqueness in handcrafted items but through Digital Fabrication using such tools as 3D printers and CNC machines, could it retain the uniqueness Morris cherished?
Arts and Crafts Principle: Morris believed that beauty and utility should be combined in everyday objects, Modern digital fabrication allows for complex designs that integrate form and function in ways that were previously difficult to achieve. Parametric design, for example, can blend aesthetic beauty with ergonomic function, aligning with Morris’s ideals.
Arts and Crafts Principle: The movement emphasized the use of high-quality, sustainable materials and ethical production practices.
Digital fabrication can reduce waste through precise material use and can support local, small-scale production, both of which are aligned with Morris’s vision of sustainability and ethical production.
Arts and Crafts Principle: Morris aimed to make good design accessible to all, although this ideal was often constrained by the costs of handcrafted goods.
Modern tools like 3D printers and open-source design platforms can make high-quality, personalized design more accessible to a broader audience, potentially fulfilling Morris’s vision of democratizing art and design.
Arts and Crafts Principle: The movement celebrated the skill of the craftsman and the connection between maker and material.
While digital tools automate parts of the process, skilled designers are still required to create, modify, and perfect the digital models. This modern “craftsmanship” involves a deep understanding of both digital tools and materials, which could be seen as a continuation of Morris’s respect for skilled labour.
While William Morris might have been initially resistant to digital fabrication due to its mechanized nature, the ethos of the Arts and Crafts movement. Quality, beauty, sustainability, and respect for craftsmanship, can find a modern expression through digital tools.
By focusing on customization, sustainability, and the integration of art with everyday objects, digital fabrication can we feel, indeed align with the ideals of the Arts and Crafts movement, creating a new form of craftsmanship for the 21st century.
CREDITS:
ARCHITECT: DHaus – Project Architects: David Ben-Grunberg, Daniel Woolfson & Nikki Smith
PHOTOGRAPHY: White + White Studio
DIGITAL FABRICATION: shingles made by Base Models
GLAZING: Oakmont
ENERGY CONSULTANT: Bertie Dixon of Inside Outside Engineering
