Alison and Peter Smithson’s original design for this Obelisk was conceived in 1984 for an urban site in Siena, to be constructed in corten steel. In 2002, The TFCo were invited by Niall Hobhouse to consider the viability of constructing this fifty foot obelisk structure within the landscape at Hadspen House Estate in green oak from trees planted by his grandfather.
This structure was sourced, milled and constructed entirely on site. It was geometrically challenging an a great success. and our carpentry team built a large scale model in order to check that the section shapes and complex angular abutments agreed with the technical drawings and trigonometric calculations before commencing with the carpentry. It was a privilege to work alongside Peter and Niall.
Architect –Peter Smithson
Structural Engineer – John Beveridge
Client –Niall Hobhouse
