We were asked to create a cabin using a twenty-year-old scissor lift. Although a playful idea, this was a serious project as the scissor jack could raise 10 meters in the air.

The initial conceptual challenge was to define the theme. After exploring a range of designs, we felt it had to be a formal folly. This offered an amusing contrast, the utilitarian and industrial machine with the intricate delicacy of a neoclassical folly.

We based our designs around the Palladian Bridge at Stowe, adding a dome for increased grandeur.

The main challenges were weight, wind load and stability. To overcome these, the structure was designed, calculated and structurally engineered within the safety factors. To avoid wind loading, we utilised the Palladian inspiration and created a skeleton like arcade. We also managed to extend and cantilever platforms at either end of the structure. The folly was constructed from torsion boxes of 3mm plywood and pine.

The skeletal folly raised out of a simplified solid classical shell. The kitchen and shelves were contained in the outer shell and left behind as the structure raised. The furniture was made from lightweight paper and card.

We revealed the Folly in a park in Lewes, much to the amazement of passers-by. The views over the rooftops to the South Downs were staggering.