CHALLENGE
A delapidated Grade 2 listed Barn, too small to convert into a family house.

SOLUTION
The client’s brief was to create a family home with four bedrooms. The client saw the kitchen space as the heart of the home and asked for the existing barn to fulfil this role. To provide space for the rest of the accommodation, a stunning green oak long barn was designed. The lower level of the new long barn is a plinth below the external ground level where bedrooms enjoy slience and a constant ambient temperature, thanks to the thermal mass of the surrounding soil.

An entrance hub joins new and old barns. The public elevations to the lane and the more private elevation to the open fields are treated very differently. The lane elevation is traditional in appearance and sympathetic to the existing farmhouse, whilst the rear elevation is contemporary, glazed and open.

The entire scheme was sensitively and sympathetically designed with the approval of East Hampshires' Conservation department. It respects the intrinsic character and appearance of the existing barn and its unique farmyard setting. The buildings relationships within its wider setting was carefully considered. This listed rural barn has been preserved and enhanced for future use and enjoyment by Abode Architects llp.