The Nook, North Farm

A dramatic Paragraph 84 house demonstrating digital manufacturing’s capacity to simplify complex builds

Perched atop a gentle rise, The Nook is composed of two interlocking blocks, designed to merge with the landscape and conceal the development’s true scale that includes basement levels with garages, stables, a swimming pool, and additional accommodation.

We joined the project at RIBA stage 4, with the BlokBuild system enabling the architect to significantly lower the embodied carbon profile of a design already featuring a high level of steel and concrete. The digitally manufactured cassettes cover a total surface area of 950m2, with bolted roof cassettes engineered to achieve spans of 7.5m between the steel framework.

The project highlights the scalability of our system and the adaptability of our installation methods. By bolting together large sections of roof cassettes on-site and craning them into place, we were able to drastically reduce installation time while retaining the flexibility and efficiency of small panel manufacturing off-site.

Cassettes were insulated on-site using high-performing blown glass wool with a recycled content of 84% and zero waste in its application. This kept the cassettes light for lifting into place while reducing the off-site manufacturing time; insulation was applied through digitally cut holes sealed with CNC rebated caps in only 4 days by 2 installers while other site work was in progress.