RECRATE embraces a discarded material as a departure point for architecture. The design of a farm residence and workshop in Grey Highlands Ontario stems from using old vegetable crates which are otherwise often burned by surrounding farms as they expire.

Extensive material research with the warped and weathered crate boards, together with the desire to give the material structural dignity, led to a stacking system held in compression by cables. The steel ribbon which is too thin for standard construction, functions as a framework against which the wood is stacked. Once the system is tensioned, the wood boards which are not fastened together take on all of the structural load.

The form of the building is a resultant of predominate programmatic elements such as sleeping areas, workshop, and kitchen, pushing out on an otherwise narrow volume. The viewing tower provides a view in the direction of a nearby pond.

In short, RECRATE holds tightly the resourcefulness of re-use as an opportunity for the designer.