More often than not at Building Tectonics, we’re commissioned to work on residential projects but every once in a while we do get the odd unusual request. Our clients can get very creative with their architectural visions, for example, a holiday resort abroad and Kazubaloo are probably at the top of our list.
On occasion it’s not so much the project that’s challenging, sometimes it's the process of surveying. Barn surveys don’t sound like they would be particularly complex to do…unless there is an electric fence involved. Fortunately, any injury incurred by the team member involved was minimal, so the office can reminisce about it whenever we need a good laugh.
You learn something new every day
Despite the fact that we usually try to keep up to date with the latest technologies and inventions, we can be surprised sometimes; like when we were approached to produce a scheme to place a Kazubaloo in Milton Keynes. For those of you who aren’t aware, a Kazubaloo is a waterless public toilet which can be installed anywhere outside without the need for water, chemicals or electricity. It depends entirely on dehydrating the solids and evaporating the liquids in order to reduce waste by up to 90%. Its unique construction places a special chimney on it, creating airflow. It’s that simple.
One of the biggest projects we were commissioned to work on was a holiday resort abroad, including holiday homes, bars, restaurants and a wedding venue. Due to this rather large list of requirements, coming up with schemes was a lot of fun, but they needed a lot of thought and consideration to go into the architecture. Structures for this type of venue not only need to fit in with the surroundings and reflect the culture in its design but also need to be structurally appropriate for both the climate and the ground upon which it’s to be built. Needless to say, we spent a lot of time on the design process for this project but it also allowed us to expand our knowledge and skills as a team.
Although it’s not very often that we receive these out of the ordinary requests, every time we do it becomes a learning experience for us in the office, making us more equipped to deal with any more unique requests.