the rural studio: morrisette tea house

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