Issue 60

PEOPLE
RICO AALST
RICO AALST
with a short deadline for completion!
“We can produce relatively large numbers
of tipis and yurts, but we don’t really do mass
production and tend to specialise in bespoke
work so this can be quite difficult. At these
times the 3D drawing software is particularly
useful.
“It can also be a big challenge meeting
multiple deadlines, as sometimes we must
take design risks when there are unusual
or complex details in a project, and then fit
them together once everything has been
made, just before the structure is sent out –
and usually whilst working on other projects
all at the same time.”
Can you tell us an example?
“Some time ago, we were making a yurt
that was so big that we didn’t actually have
the space in our yard to properly set it up
in advance on a level surface, to make sure
all the components fitted together perfectly
before sending it off to be installed.
“We made everything ready according
to the drawings, and then set it up on the
customers’ site to do the final fitting before
finishing the cover. Luckily, it all turned out
to work exactly as anticipated, with the
stainless steel tension band fitting millimetre
perfect! It was a real vindication of all the
meticulous planning and calculating that is
done in the early design phase.
“We left the frame up on site with a
temporary cover, went away and finished
the canvas work at our yard and then came
back to finish the installation the following
week. Everything worked perfectly, but it was
incredibly nerve wracking.”
What’s it like to work at Hearthworks?
“Hearthworks has a very informal work
culture. It has taken shape from the festival
scene, and everyone working here has a true
appreciation and affinity for canvas covered
structures and living in them. Here, we
mostly work together as friends, side by side.
“WE’VE TAKEN TRADITIONAL
YURT DESIGNS AND ADAPTED
THEM BY INCORPORATING
MODERN MATERIALS, SUCH
AS STAINLESS STEEL TENSION
BANDS AND LAMINATED
PRESSURE RINGS”
The location is also a beautiful one in the
countryside.”
So you’re happy at Hearthworks?
“I work with a team of truly beautiful
people who I respect and value. With them,
I can explore the limits of what can be
done with wood and canvas. Hearthworks
has a technical advantage in that we not
only manufacture, but also hire out our
structures, year in, year out, in vast numbers.
We see how our structures behave when
being set up, taken down and transported
by a great variety of people, and in many
different situations. It provides us with first
hand feedback, and allows us to constantly
improve our designs.
“For example, we realised we needed a
different type of structure within our hire
range. A Tipi is basically a huge canvas
chimney, with a central fire inside to bring
it alive. Yet most festivals don’t allow open
fires due to health and safety regulations. We
needed something that retained the magic
of the Tipi shape but without a central fire,
and which was easier to transport and set
up. So, we developed our TriLodge. It’s tipilike
but without the chimney element. It is
suspended from an external tipi pole tripod,
and has a porch that allows the occupants to
keep the door open even while it’s raining.
“Over the last decade we’ve also
pioneered more permanent yurt set ups.
A yurt is technically a temporary dwelling
that doesn’t need planning permission like
a permanent structure, but it can also have
features of a regular building, like insulation,
heating, lockable doors, etc. Many yurts are
ordered these days for classrooms, therapy
spaces and alternative accommodation for
retreats and activity centres. We’ve taken
traditional yurt designs and adapted them
by incorporating modern materials, such as
stainless steel tension bands and laminated
pressure rings. This retains their traditional
feel while also being able to meet standard
building regulations.
“In Milton Keynes we created a complex
of seven podded yurts: a living room with
kitchen, two dormitories, two supervisor
bedrooms, and two bathrooms for a
charitable organisation catering for young
people with disabilities, difficult histories or
other social disadvantages. They’ve been
fully booked up from the moment it was
completed, eight years ago. Then, the charity
commissioned another yurt complex of eight
podded Yurts (with an extra bathroom) a year
later!
“These experiences are most rewarding.
Just knowing that because of what we do, so
many youngsters have had the opportunity
to experience yurt living by spending time
there with their families and loved ones,
closer to nature; that’s pretty special. It
makes me happy to be able to contribute
something so positive to my fellow human
beings.
“And I still feel very proud when I see
hundreds of our tipis and yurts set up at
some of the biggest event sites around, like
Glastonbury festival!”
DETAILS
Hearthworks
01749 321210
www.hearthworks.co.uk
82 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM