Estate refurbishment and new barn in the West country

The barn is placed away from the river, in order to restore the relationship between river and banks as well as to give the river room to flood. All roads and paths are made with permeable eco blocks which allow grass to come through. Again, to make sure that there is no excess surface water collected. The area is an AONB so also a dark sky area. The barn was part of a larger regeneration of an estate. The philosophy of the design was to give prevalence to the surroundings while creating comfort and a wonderful place to live and enjoy the surroundings for the clients.

This outbuilding epitomises one of the climate's questions we often discuss when building in AONBs. Who are we building for? How do we preserve the existing Bat population and make sure they can still forage in the dark? This building makes the dichotomy between man and bats visible and tries to unite the two into one building. One side is dark and the other light. The owner will always be aware of what happens on the other side of the outbuilding. This is a question we'd like to explore further: how can we share space with each other?

Initial sketch

a view of the proposed shed with our nearby cottage renovation

Physical model; aerial view

Ground Floor

Long section with the new bat roost

OB Section02 Short Section NO Greenery 02

Cross section