Idyllically located on the mud flats of the Exbury bank of the Bealieu River, The Egg is a project that young architectural practice, Perring Architecture + Design (PAD), are developing in partnership with ArtSway, a contemporary visual arts organization based in the New Forest . The project was initially conceived to bring together architects, artists and engineers to collaborate on exploring new models for rural architecture, through a series of temporary buildings in the New Forest National Park. The buildings will be a resource for interaction and debate on issues of sustainability, recycling, energy conservation and rural development, with artists’ inhabitation and activity as the catalyst. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Working with renowned artist Stephen Turner, PAD identified the unusual site in an exploration up the Beaulieu River one winter February morning. The sinuous form of the river embankment at St Margaret’s Creek is in fact entirely man-made dating back to the 18th century and was sluiced at either end in order to retain the water from each tide within linear ditches (clearly visible from above), for the evaporation of seawater in the salt making process. This embankment is effectively an isolated 1 ½ km long island accessible only by boat at high water or by the very intrepid at low water.
