Hawkland and the Centre For Alternative Technology: Ben Nother
Hawkland’s origin as an ecological design and build company is profoundly intertwined with the Centre for Alternative Technology. Read on to learn more about Ben’s experiences at CAT and how they have influenced who Hawkland is today.
What is CAT?
The Centre for Alternative Technology is an eco-centre in Wales dedicated to demonstrating and teaching sustainable development. CAT’s mission is to inspire, inform and enable humanity to respond to the climate and biodiversity emergency as an educational charity. The Centre is dedicated to researching and communicating positive solutions to climate change. CAT provides short courses in renewable energy, green building, sustainable growing and more, as well as postgraduate opportunities. Find out more on their website.
Ben Nother - Architect and COO
Ben is a Bristol-based, ARB-registered Architect with 15 years of architectural experience and education as well as 20 years in the construction industry. He studied for a Professional Diploma in Architecture at the Centre For Alternative Technology from 2012 to 2014. After the Professional Diploma course was recommended to Ben by several friends, he was immediately drawn towards the eco-centre’s picturesque Welsh setting, buildings and, primarily, the flexible learning structure.
“I was drawn toward the structure of being there for a full week of lectures and learning, then having the ability to work and study from home for the remainder of the month.”
Ben emphasises the high quality of teaching throughout his time at CAT, focusing in particular on the course’s exploration of new avenues of thought. He says that the holistic structure of learning was focused “as much on the practicality of construction as it was on different styles, forms and methods of design and aesthetics.”
“Material consideration and how a building worked were always at the forefront of the explorative design process.”
The practicality of the course’s design consideration encouraged Ben to push against standard and traditional forms of construction. Following his graduation, he felt prepared to encourage natural material and passive design techniques in the competitive architectural industry, helping him prioritise sustainability during all parts of the Hawkland design process.
Both Ben and David met at the Centre For Alternative Technology during their studies. When they bumped into each other again a few years later, they quickly began working together professionally. Ben describes the formation process of Hawkland as an easy one, “having people with a shared educational background, and a shared set of values pushed by that education, made it very easy for David, Chris and I to be on the same page.”
The Centre for Alternative Technology in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales
Learn more about the Centre for Alternative Technology and our purpose here.