Thatched Water Tower Installation by Cella Collective and Mitre & Mondays at Houghton Festival

During the Houghton Festival held in Norfolk, England, from August 6 to 9, design studios Cella Collective and Mitre & Mondays introduced the Water Tower, a 5.5-meter-tall timber-framed structure adorned with thatch from sustainable reedbeds. This installation served as a shaded seating area situated between the food zone and a performance stage, taking inspiration from a water tower constructed for Houghton Hall in 1772. With four openings featuring slanted thatched walls, a thatched ring on top, and wooden seating, visitors could look up through a circular roof opening. The project adhered to regenerative design principles, utilizing reed sourced from reedbeds managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), benefiting local wildlife. Mitre & Mondays co-founder Josef Shanley-Jackson aimed for the installation to appear as if it emerged organically from the ground, while Cella Collective's Alys Hargreaves noted thatch's blend of modern and traditional aesthetics along with its cooling properties. The team worked with master thatchers Wayne Halfpenny and Steve Kelly, adapting their techniques to the materials used. Ella Caldicott from Cella Collective stressed the importance of hands-on collaboration with artisans. The Water Tower is set to be disassembled and reassembled for future festivals. Other notable installations included a luminous canopy by Benni Allan of EBBA Architects. Photography was captured by Henry Woide.