building up the tea house pavilion using thinnings
all photos of the construction of the tea-house-pavilion are courtesy of the rural sudio

the morrisette tea house is a place for the study and enjoyment of tea,
a thesis by students of the rural studio program.

the students had the opportunity to design and build the tea house from foundation to
roof to internal finishes. the thesis is focused on the research and development
of abundant local resources. the team wished to utilize these resources to supplement
the building industry, stimulate local economy, and reduce the distance materials travel.
the students lived nearby the forest, planted and natural, in alabama’s most productive woodlands.
therefore, they’ve focused their exploration on sustainable forestry, wood products,
and the southeastern timber industry. in short : forest management and waste reuse by
creating solutions that require less downcycling, less processing, and less traveling.


building-up the arched frame

they have chosen thinnings as a principal material for this research.
thinnings are unhealthy or underdeveloped trees, which are removed from the forest
as part of sustainable forestry practices. these trees are not suitable for dimensional lumber,
and are currently pulped for paper products or fuel. they aim to find ways of building
with thinnings, creating buildings systems for rural communities, reducing our carbon
footprint and allowing the forest’s resources to stay local.

they’ve been building mock-ups of walls, roofs, and connections, testing techniques
and the materials through the design and actually constructing a pavilion at
talledega national forest. in partnership with the national forestry service
they were allowed to use forest management waste, thinnings, for the pavilion.

in july and early august the team spent time debarking-cabling-boron-treating all trees,
burning pine for the roof mats, lay oak foundations and designing the roof cap
for fabrication in tuscaloosa, alabama.


the construction set up in the morrisette house's front garden


construction in progress with webbing strap strewn about, used for binding




the completed pavilion


a rendering of the pavilion


cable wires were used for support




the cable wires providing tension to the curved structure