Artisanal Bakery. Raw earth, terracotta, and wood: three materials selected and worked by hand using simple tools. The requirement was to create an authentic, no-frills space to be delivered as a shell within a new building. A space that instantly evokes the skills of local artisans. Constructed with small precision-made terracotta bricks are the floor, basement, partitions, and oven cladding, all cast and baked in an oven, echoing the bread-making process. Douglas fir, a single local species, recurs in various forms. Even the raw earth covering the bakery walls is mixed with vegetable fibres from recycling wheat and barley straw, recovered during flour milling on site.
The jury’s opinion: The beauty of this project is that it shows craftsmanship rehashed with a modern twist. Avoiding industrial aluminium displays is unbelievably more user-friendly. It is also a way of demonstrating that you can put architecture into the most humble of places.