Straw bale artist studio, Warkworth, Ontario, Canada.

 
   
       
 

 

This 270 sq.ft. (25m2) art studio was designed to be as curvy as possible with an arched door, arched roof, curvaceous straw bale walls and set in the rolling hills in Northumberland County, Canada where it became know as the hobbit house. The bales were installed over the course of only one day's workshop where friends, family and neighbours came to lend a hand and learn about straw bale building. The studio was built by Deirdre McGahern (below) of Straworks based in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

   
           
 
 
 
         
   
 

Deirdre graduated in 2000 with a Fine Arts degree from Mount Allison University where she became an environmental activist working on various environmental campaigns. A friend introduced her to straw bale construction and after reading The New Natural House by David Pearson, she signed up for a weekend workshop with Chris Magwood at Endeavour Centre, and slowly but surely she began to steer her life towards natural building.

On an internship with Chris for six months she and others built his mother's straw bale house. Following that project she managed one of Chris’ projects which lead to her first solo project in 2005 as Straworks.

Deirdre now has an impressive portfolio of straw bale homes that she and her team have built.