A TOAST TO THE OAST

Oast houses with it’s symbolically signature of a conical roof atop a square or rounded base rose into prominence by the 18th century.

- Ar. Farhaan Mohammed

These structures were an adaptation of barns and was intended to serve the purpose of drying hops needed for the beer-brewing industry. The hops were laid out and dried by the hot air rising from a wood or charcoal fire below. This hot air was then channelized outwards through a cowl on the conical apex. With the advent of technology and industrialization of the brewing process, the oasts of yesteryears soon turned obsolete, existing as mere memorials of a bygone era. Subsequently, most of these redundant structures were redesigned to cater to functions such as homes, retreats, museums and so on. However, to design a new home based on the vernacular oast houses would be something truly unique, and that is exactly what the Newton family from Kent aspired for when they approached ACME.