REDHILL BARN

The project was to create a new house within the shell of an isolated and ruined stone barn, standing in open countryside.

It is a dramatic site where there is always sound from the elements; the wind, the rain, the stream outside. The light is constantly changing as weather rolls in from the sea just over the hill.

We wanted to create a flexible home that worked with the logic of the original building, retaining the beauty of the monumental weathered stone walls and wild agricultural setting. Yet we also wanted to create an unapologetically contemporary, inviting and comfortable place to live, surrounded by the natural world.

The result is an immersive house, a rich experience of textures, smooth pale wood, dark painted surfaces, old worn stone, height and space. It is a house which feels new and exciting as a piece of contemporary architecture, but which is also very true to the essence of the original working building.

Through an uncompromising approach to material, detail and layout, the project shows how historic rural buildings can be reused with integrity, inventiveness and restraint, preserving their character in the landscape.