The client required a small office space in his garden, to be as 'green' as possible. The 30 square metre building features a curved, planted roof over handmade glulam beams fixed to eight roundpoles braced with stainless steel shipping fixings. None of the timber is treated, but detailed so that all areas receive adequate ventilation.

The project was developed using almost entirely local, natural and reclaimed materials, such as untreated sheeps wool insulation, straw bales for the walls covered in lime harling and limewash, sharpened hazel twigs, clay-straw mix filling, reclaimed douglas fir floor boards, woodwool and even a reused gas pipe as a window.

It was only the third straw bale building in Scotland and featured the first ever use of a 'breathing base' to the bale walls, developed by Chris to allow moisture to escape at this vulnerable point. Shortllisted for the AJ small building of the year in 1999, the building was conceived, designed and administered by Chris Morgan whilst working for Gaia Architects.

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