Commissioned to design a new headquarters for TFL International that would be both dynamic and economical, Studio BAAD constructed a two-story shed using prefabricated and low-cost materials. The building lies at the western side of the city of Preston, near the banks of the River Ribble. Clad with alternating black profiled metal and expanded aluminium mesh, the building glows at night from within. The mesh screens act to shade interior offices from direct sunlight whilst allowing the sliding doors to be left open for natural ventilation. Lee Ivett of Baxendale talks to Philip Bintliff, director of Studio BAAD, to discuss the principles of low tech construction and the importance of developing contemporary practice outside London. • Lee Ivett lives and works in Gourock and Preston. He is the founder of participatory architecture, art and design studio Baxendale. His practice is organic and generative, developing low-budget socially-led projects within communities across the UK. Ivett is Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for BSc. Hons Architecture at the Grenfell-Baines Institute of Architecture, Preston.
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