Reviving a Rural Gem – Hard to Find Farm

Hard to find perhaps, but not hard to love this characterful cluster of rural buildings. WWA has recently completed the conversion of four agricultural buildings into a mix of residential, commercial office and warehousing units, on a rural farm setting. The four existing barns sit within the curtilage of a Grade II listed Farmhouse, with which the retention of the farmyard setting was a key conservation factor. Two of the converted barns consist of a historic timber frame and masonry construction, which required careful repair and restoration. The site is surrounded by agricultural fields and remains in active agricultural use.

Key Rural Design Principles

Historic Timber Barns (Barns B & D)

Retain as much of the existing historic timber structure as possible for conservation purposes, replacing timber members only where absolutely necessary.

Existing brickwork plinth retained and underpinned (for structural purposes). We produced a detailed scheme of brickwork repairs for each elevation.

The principal timber structural elements retained on show within the units included roof trusses, purlins and posts, all carefully restored and refinished.

External materials were renewed to match the existing, principally black-stained featheredge timber cladding and clay roof tiles.

A number of feature pieces of historic rural/agricultural equipment were retained and displayed within the units.

External view of Barn D

Exterior view of the barns

Internal view of a unit

Rear external view of Barn B

Spacious internal room of refurbished barn

Modern Barns (Barns A & E)

These steel-framed buildings were retained and adapted to suit the client’s structural loading requirements for operational use.

Mezzanine floors were inserted into all units to increase usable floor area.

In order to match the palette of the neighbouring historic buildings a complimentary material palette was selected. This included a red brick plinth and vertical larch cladding boards with metal clad roof (standing seam zinc was used on Barn E), which is also typical of the aesthetic of local rural/agricultural buildings nearby.

It is envisaged that Barn A will be used for warehousing and or storage units and so the fit out was industrial in nature leaving the exposed roof structure plain to view.

The specification of Barn E included a simple fit-out to suit typical commercial office use, providing space for a rural business to grow.

Aerial view of Barn A

Refurbished Barn E

Barn A converted to a warehouse

Warehouse interior, upper level

A Unique Challenge

The conservation constraints of the historic barns meant that the obvious technical challenge was achieving thermal performance without compromising on character. A much greater degree of insulation is required in order to satisfy Building Regulations which makes utilising and expressing the existing structure less than straight-forward. Wall and roof build-ups are much more significant in depth to achieve a cosy interior space, meaning that without careful detailing much of the character of the structure can get swallowed up by internal linings.

Aesthetic and heritage-driven decisions such as retaining areas of exposed brickwork internally within the unit, require expertise to deliver this without compromising on thermal performance.

There were also various ecological constraints to be addressed during the design and works. This included to relocation of Barn Owl nesting boxes as well as the introduction of a number of bat and bird boxes fixed to the renovated buildings, and an extensive soft landscaping and native planting scheme across the site.

Arriving at a Design Solution

We applied a combination of insulation materials and strategies to the existing building fabric, as there was no one-size-fits-all solution applicable to a structure with such eccentric and varying historic fabric.

It was crucial to work alongside the Structural Engineer in order to assess the capacity of the existing structure and historic fabric. Through this collaborative approach, it was possible to find a way to adapt and retain the structure whilst achieving the required thermal performance.

Bespoke joinery items in the interior emphasise and highlight the historic nature of the structures, including oak shelving fitted into quirky niches and nooks from the barn’s past configurations.

A Vibrant Future

The successful conversion of this cluster of agricultural buildings has saved them from further decay. The technical resolution celebrates and reveals the form and detailing of the existing barns. The client is happy with the outcome and the security this gives their future plans. The buildings can now be used for a mix of residential and commercial uses well into the future, forming a small rural business centre on the farm site.

Front elevation of Barn D

Floor plan of Barn D

Short section plan of Barn D

Our Team’s Expertise on This Project…

Architectural Design – Technical Design
Contract Administration
Heritage
CDM – Principal Design
Town Planning (Discharge of conditions and material amendments only)

If you would like to know more about how our multidisciplinary team can bring their myriad expertise to bear on complex sites such as this one, contact WWA’s Managing Director Mark Slater at 0123 552 3139 for a free initial consultation.

All of the photographs in this article were taken by The Plastic Goldfish Company Limited.