LUDGATE BLOOMSCULPTURAL | WOODEN | BUILDINGS
'Imagining a Building'.
Shot by Arran Busk.
'Buildings Should Tread Lightly'
Shot by Arran Busk
Designer. Carpenter. Artist. Experimental Architect.
Sam Ludgate Bloom occupies an unusual space with his work, and his practice-lead approach is rooted firmly in the tradition of an Artist.
He creates highly considered, joyful buildings and objects, that tread lightly on the earth.
Longevity is of paramount importance and Sam is keen to maintain harmony with the natural world.
The objects, cabins, and saunas, are intended to help you reconnect with nature and benefit from the elements.
Whilst constantly scrutinising material choices, and building processes, in order to stay in line with his core values and the environment, Sam creates buildings that are akin to sculptural works. They illustrate his fascination with form, and attempt to challenge what is expected from the spaces which we inhabit.
Low Environmental Impact
Can we produce buildings that are totally bio-degradable?
Building Mobility
Buildings and objects that rest on the land, that don't harm, or even affect the surface or soil structure.
Local & Natural Materials
Material integrity and responsibility.
Reconnection with the elements
Buildings and objects that increase interaction with the outdoors
The primal, and healing effect of nature is well understood, and I believe that re-connecting with ourselves, and our bio rhythms is most powerful when we live, sleep and relax close to the natural world.
I intend for my buildings and objects to assist people in accessing and enjoying the wilder spaces that we have at our disposal. This should be done without harming the land. I seek a different perspective on how we inhabit green belt land, sacred land, historically important land, and I would like to reframe how we let the outside into our lived environments.
Highly considered interiors are more important for small spaces than their larger counterparts. Ergonomics and storage are as critical as aesthetics and longevity.
With small buildings every single square inch should be considered, and psychological space is more pressing; by creating illusions for the eye, one can increase the feeling of space without extending the footprint.
Even small buildings should surprise and delight and I hope to incorporate a sense of theatre and discovery in all my projects.
Wood is a unique building material, for its many qualities. How it looks, how it ages, how it is to work with, how it smells, how it reverberates sound and heat, and its sustainability as a building material. There are drawbacks with regards the issues of monocultures created by timber production, and the emissions that come with transporting it, but timber is essentially a carbon neutral material. If responsibly grown timber is used and maintained before it can decay, it locks up carbon that would have otherwise been released in its natural breakdown. Therefore a wooden building acts as a carbon sink and by designing buildings to an extremely high level of detail we can help ensure better longevity.
Wherever possible, I recycle materials, objects and fittings to use in the buildings.
There’s a richness of quality and style that the ubiquitous modern can lack, and with the added joy of restoration. When considered aesthetically and used sympathetically, old objects seem to retain an energetic resonance that can transfer into the rest of the building.
I don't use them just for the sake of it, but because it compliments the building, and is better for the environment.
Material responsibility is highly important. Nothing gets wasted
There is a responsibility to respect the fine balance of energy and material consumption as much as the theoretical or aesthetic consideration of a object, and If I am to make functional buildings such as Cabins and Saunas, they need to perform as well as the ubiquitous, mass produced alternatives.
I constantly research the current thinking regards building performance, insulation techniques, energy technology, and material responsibility so that the objects represent the most up to date understanding of these elements, whilst maintaining a healthy balance with the natural world and what is important to human health.
Why default to filling the ground with concrete when there are less intrusive ways to foot a building? It’s about reframing the need and the response, so the interior and exterior work in harmony.
As a society we have the space, knowledge, and materials to create modular buildings and auxiliary services that can grow and shrink with the inhabitants requirements, but that don't interfere with or pollute the land, or damage the environment. As an extension of my work I would love to play a part in reforming the UK planning laws allowing people more autonomy and choice to live rurally and holistically with nature.
