London practice Commonbond Architects has designed and built its own studio at the end of a garden in Abbey Wood using a combination of hempcrete and timber.

Named Gardenhide Studio, the workspace in southeast London is intended to showcase the potential of hempcrete – a bio-composite material made from hemp and lime – as a building material.

Commonbond Architects has self-built Gardenhide Studio

In addition to hempcrete, Commonbond Architects used reclaimed materials and a timber frame to create the cuboidal volume, which is topped with a mono-pitched roof.

"The main idea behind the project was to create something that felt permanent and not like a standard lightweight timber shed," studio co-director Kate Nicklin told Dezeen.

It contains the practice's own workspace. Photo by Dom Walker

"Hempcrete offered an alternative construction which was good for self-building," added Nicklin.

"We like that it can be sourced in the UK and supports small-scale growers, we like that it creates a healthy environment to be in with no off-gassing and its breathable properties, that it sequesters carbon and is ultimately biodegradable."