The Footprint has been built in a small meadow in front of the already existing buildings at St Catherine’s, at a right angle to them.

Hybrid construction

The Footprint is a hybrid construction. The roof is supported by a mix of load bearing walls and framing. The frame and two portals in the interior also brace the building. Inside it consists of a single open space of about 100m² with a small store and tea-making area partitioned off. Outside are a small covered activity area and a covered timber walkway around most of the building.

Protected

It is a simple but unusual shape, incidentally like a snow-shoe footprint in plan design, which is almost elliptical at one end with gently curved walls. The roof is pitched at 35^○ to reflect the pitch of the existing building and it is extended at one end.

There is quite a large overhang on all sides for protection, but the western end faces the prevailing weather, so there is a ‘peak’ at that side. The overhang will also screen direct sunlight in the summer. The total size of the building is around 250m².

Integrated

The southern elevation is glazed, which allows the use of natural light inside, and gives the feeling of the building being within the meadow and not shut off from it. There are two doors, and the windows are such that they maximise solar gain and allow ventilation.

The sense of being part of the site is emphasised further on the south side with a stepped area from the covered walkway, which curves around the building, in line with the roof overhang. This will allow direct access to the meadow and also provide a useful outdoor seating area. The outside walkways and floors will minimise erosion.

The northern side is one long wall with a single window, which extends to provide a sheltered side to the small covered activity area. On the eastern end there is a straight glazed wall with one door, leading out to the covered activity area.

The western end is beautifully curved, with four small windows. The site’s slope requires a platform for the building on this end which is visually reduced by earth banking and stone facing. At this end, double doors access the under-floor space.