The Project: Ty Unnos

As part of S4C's 'Shelter Cymru' week, the Roundhouse Project was invited to build a 'one night house'. The Ty Unnos is a Welsh tradition dating back centuries. An 18th Century law stated that peasants could claim a patch of Common Land, if they could build their house on it in just one night.

As part of S4C's 'Shelter Cymru' week (to highlight the plight of homeless people in Wales), The Roundhouse Project was invited to join a race to build two such buildings at the St. Fagans National History Museum. We had 10 (daylight) hours to build two homes, one from modern materials and using modern techniques (such as screws), and the other from purely traditional materials and techniques.

Dafydd's contemporary house had a large South-facing window to collect heat from the Sun, and a turf roof to keep that heat in. The frame was made from square-cut timber from a local D.I.Y. store. Owain's house comprised of walls made from pre-fabricated weaved willow panels, sticks for rafters, and a thatched roof made from split straw bales.

A great day was had by all, and Owain won the race.

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