(CTA) have employed a self-described, “close, intense and engaged way of making architecture” in their residential project dubbed Room in rural Kent. The architects focused on the micro-scale, perfecting details to deliver a highly sophisticated, deeply functional home.
The project questions the role of craftsmanship in the digital age. “Every joint, element and mark-made was first three-dimensionally modelled, tested and then further drawn for fabrication via automated CNC cutting – enabling absolute control, expression, and accuracy,” explains the team.
All elements of the project were first drawn at 1:1, creating close to ten sets of fabrication drawings. Both the positive forms and the negative formwork were drawn and cut into twenty casts – including those for thresholds, surfaces, wall panels, and sinks. Architects outline, “physical 1:1 prototype ensured a more precise understanding of scale so often hard to grasp in a purely digital environment”, creating a balanced and well-proportioned result.