Designs that Connect to Environment: An interview with Rupert McKelvie
Rupert McKelvie's life has been shaped by nature, from his childhood spent exploring the English countryside to his current venture, Out of The Valley (OOTV), which creates outdoor cabins and saunas in natural, sustainable materials. The project started as a practical labour of love; his very first Oak cabin became his home, built in a deep valley on the edge of Dartmoor, giving the newfound architecture practice its rightful name. After gaining traction at London Design Week, it wasn't long before people around him felt a resonation for the same off-grid lifestyle, set against a backdrop of rural expanse.
His cabins today are still consciously designed and crafted, and wooden prefabricated saunas look out across rolling forests and wild landscapes. We speak on a crisp February morning, considering locality, seasonality and the longing for a life with less 'stuff'.
What are your memories of growing up?
I grew up in Gloucestershire's countryside surrounded by farms and woodlands. My mother and father had bought a farmhouse in the late 70s, more of a ruin than a house, in a beautiful setting by a small river.
There was only one room that didn't have water leaking into it, so over the next twenty years it was gradually restored using traditional materials and techniques. My father turned one of the barns into his carpentry workshop. I spent many hours of my childhood sweeping up sawdust and making objects with bits of wood.
Nature was a big part of growing up. One spring morning my father returned from a walk with an injured deer that had caught her leg in a fence. We looked after her while her leg healed and she joined the family, eating out of dog bowls with our collies and following us on walks. Even though she could have left for the woods she always came back – we named her Acorn after the Oak tree she was found under.
You have a background as a wooden boat builder – what did this teach you?
My godfather lived in Devon not far from the River Dart, and from the age of 12 I would travel down at the start of summer to stay with him. The highlight was going out on the water on his old venetian speedboat and wooden launch – it sparked a love of the ocean.
After college I enrolled on a classical boat building course in Dorset. We started by making a dovetailed tool box, then moved into the theory and practicalities of lofting – the process of taking a boat design on paper and turning it into full scale patterns. From these we shaped planks into hulls, stems and transoms, carved oars and steam-bent ribs. It taught me how to make more fluid forms and to understand the nature of different types of wood.
There are some similarities to what Out of the Valley does now, in creating structures to protect against the elements, whilst using the warmth of wood to create welcoming spaces. Spaces you want to spend time in.
What made you leave London for a life in Dartmoor?
I'm happier in more isolated places and I like living where I can run, swim and surf. I studied design at Falmouth School of Art, then moved to London to work in the design and manufacturing of furniture. I would often return to Devon and after a few years converted a barn into a workshop on a small rural farm.
"The place inspired the work, and it really did come out of the valley and into the world."
How did OOTV come to be?
It came about quite naturally – I needed somewhere to live. I decided to turn my hand to building my own wooden cabin. I used the weekends and evenings to make it alongside other work, and it was the inspiration for much of what we have done since.
Beyond the practical need of somewhere to live, what were your motivations for building a remote home for yourself?
I wanted to set myself a challenge in building a small home made using natural materials and traditional timber framing techniques. Because the cabin was for myself I could explore my ideas freely – I wanted to make something that would be comfortable to live in year round, cheap to run, small enough to be moved and made exclusively of non-toxic materials.
"The cabin is cosy, it's an intimate space and has everything that you need at arms reach. There is less clutter and it is noticeable that you enjoy your time there as a result – I find that I read and draw more when I'm there."
What about the materials you use, and the importance of how they are sourced?
Buildings require a lot of materials in their construction; Out of the Valley aims to keep that to a minimum by reducing complexity and waste. We source what we can locally and from the UK. The materials we use are non-toxic, from the formaldehyde-free sheet materials to the insulation, paints and finishes. We aim to make healthy, breathable buildings that touch lightly on the land and their inhabitants.
When it comes to installing our buildings we opt for screw piles – large steel screws that are driven into the ground. They alleviate the need for concrete and can be removed if ever the sauna or cabin were to be relocated.
How do you embrace new technologies and ways of working?
With Out of the Valley's new line of saunas we're constantly testing and researching our designs. We've developed an internal ventilation system that remains largely hidden but does the important work of moving condensation away from the vapour barrier and out to the atmosphere. We focus on a lot of the details you don't see, which means that the details you do see will last.
There are a lot of exciting new materials coming into the construction sector, replacing old oil-based equivalents. Bio materials can be taken from the waste stream of commercial processes – straw stalks from cereal production, for example. Hemp is a fast-growing plant that locks away carbon whilst having incredibly strong fibres, made into boards, bricks and insulation. Mycelium is being grown into panels to create insulation with thermal and acoustic qualities, and cork turned into cladding and even bricks. We're excited for what these can bring to our projects.
Why do you think more and more people are interested in living off-grid, with a connection to nature?
I think everyone has a desire to return to something simpler. More people are starting to bring off-grid technologies into their homes – solar panels to supplement energy consumption, for instance. How and where food is grown is also being discussed a lot more. There are few who live truly 'off-grid' as it requires a lot of time and energy. Anything we can do is a good thing, whether it's composting, recycling grey water or installing a wind turbine.
"I think everyone has a desire to return to something simpler."
How do you think design can positively connect us to the world around us, and with each other?
If a home is well designed it can make us feel part of the natural world, not separate from it. It can be as simple as using organic materials for its construction, letting in as much light as possible or being able to hear the patter of rain on the roof.
"Good design should nourish our body and mind."
What has been your most memorable project so far?
We've taken on some really ambitious projects, especially in the early years – we always wanted to say yes. We took on an old boat house on the South Coast, on a little rocky beach you couldn't drive to. On a good day you could get to the top of the cliff – it was incredibly steep, and we had to carry the materials down to the beach by hand. Building in remote places is certainly challenging, but that's the whole point of it.
Photography: Jakob Powell
outofthevalley.co.uk
