Many thatch authorities will tell you the problems are more about perception and point to thatched roofs’ longevity in the past. There are risks of decay from micro‑organisms such as fungi, although well‑thatched reed and straw roofs and walls generally resist micro‑organisms gaining a foothold, requiring little maintenance. There followed fire testing, and other governmental certificates, which helped to bolster confidence in the material.įire is only one obvious source of caution: water penetration and moisture control are ongoing points of concern. This house in Gorssel set the template for hundreds of similar homes, first in the Netherlands, and then beyond. After research and experiments, Maas Architecten, supported by the Dutch Thatching Federation (Vakfederatie Rietdekkers), designed and realised the first vertical thatched house in 2002: thatch covers the walls and folds across its pitched roof, stapled to a concrete structure. It was also the Dutch thatchers who led the technical development which has helped propel a wave of contemporary thatched buildings among architects: vertical thatching. Though on life support through the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, thatch did not die off during the country’s industrialisation as it did in other European countries. The exception is the low‑lying and watery terrain of the Netherlands, where reed beds – and consequently thatch materials – were part of the vernacular. Thatch almost disappeared across Europe in the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution. Thatch is enjoying a renaissance across northern Europe, but it is yet to fulfil its post‑carbon potential
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