Innovation in Thatch...but would it work?

A British student of architecture won an award this month for his innovative design "London Thatch" which sees the postwar housing blocks of London uplifted using thatch! The existing towers contribute to London's "concrete jungle" and student James Kirk proposes in his project to extend the towers outwards and give them an facelift with a thatch façade. He even proposes a School of Thatching in which residents and local youth would be trained in the art of thatching and would maintain the thatch on the building. View the movie below to see images of exactly how James envisages the project.




Would the project work?
James has come under fire from those in the industry who think the project is completely unrealistic. I do see their point. Not only would the massive tower blocks use tons and tons of thatch (probably the entire thatch availability from the UK in several years) but they would also need constant maintenance. The thatch would also degrade eventually and have to be replaced entirely...not a cost effective solution for the UK government. It is however an extremely creative project and good to see young architects thinking outside of the box.

What do you think?

To read more about the project and see others opinions visit www.dezeen.com.

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