SHEEPFOLD
Upon visiting the site and speaking with the owners, we learned that the sheep from the Bassenges Farm were taken to this parcel to eat a special kind of grass that helps with their milk production. We also noticed that the site was quite loud, because of the nearby passing cars on the road right under the farm. The noise and light pollution affect the sheep negatively, that is why we created a shelter from these nuisances.
We wanted a space that would be big enough to welcome all 18 sheep of the parcel, however we still wanted to leave enough “outdoor” space that they could enjoy.
The origin of this new project is a rectangular shape which measures 10 by 12 meters.
A curved wall separates both spaces and allows for the sound coming from the door’s side of the enclosure to bounce back, and phonetically isolates the large area behind. The ends of the wall are not curved, creating two narrow corridors to enter the space. The sheep move more easily in long, narrow spaces.
In terms of construction, we stuck to our dear “Opus Incertum” (Opus=Way the stones are placed and Incertum=Uncertain). Not only is it structurally very efficient and would stand for a long time, but the mass of the wall, thanks to the mortar and small stones in the heart of it, creates an efficient soundproof barrier (the wall will be soundproof, if there are no holes in the wall)
Underground there are foundations that continue under the door to create the threshold to prevent potential predators from scratching under the door when it is closed. The soil extracted from the foundation will be placed back on the ground inside the pen and more precisely in the corners at the bottom of the slope to make the space more accessible for the sheep and to avoid them getting a leg stuck between the wall and the steep ground at that area.
The stones at the base of the wall are larger than the rest on top, this creates a trapezoidal shape which ensures the stability of the wall. We went layer by layer, each time starting by placing the stones on the exterior of the wall, and then filling up the middle with mortar and smaller stones.