Temple Farm

In one of the most innovative construction projects in the UK, a former scrapyard in Chelmsford, Essex, has been transformed into a multifaceted living and working space for the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.

Sustainable principles

In keeping with their religious beliefs, the Society put sustainability at the heart of the project. More than four million volunteer hours went into the construction, with volunteers housed on site to deliver fast results with minimal environmental impact. The finished result is equally green, with the development achieving an ‘outstanding’ BREEAM rating.

Mimicking nature

With those credentials it’s no surprise that the Temple Farm Health and Wellbeing Centre takes nature as its design cue. Designed in-house, the Centre embraces its idyllic countryside location, with vertical timber fins mimicking the tree lines and creating shadow play and texture as the sun moves throughout the day.

Low maintenance

Russwood Thermopine® cladding was selected for its dimensional stability and low maintenance, with SiOO:X Original treatment ensuring a consistent silvering over time. The addition of L-GoFix® screw fixings in A2 grade stainless steel offer clean, consistent detailing that does not break the flow of the curved designs.

The design team was impressed with the good communication and technical support given by Russwood in helping select and specify the timber species, sizes and fixings.