BARN CONVERSION AND EXTENSION

HOMEOWNERS Richard and Sharon Stott

PROJECT Conversion of barn with extension

LOCATION Yorkshire

BUILD COST £254,000

DESIGNER R D Stott Architects

A sympathetic approach and a firm eye on energy efficiency were important to Richard and Sharon Stott when they set out to convert their dilapidated brick barn inyorkshire, and both of those boxes have been well and truly ticked. Timber beams have been retained throughout, and missing brick piers have been reinstated, meaning the character of the building shines out stronger than ever. Additionally a new, timber-clad blockwork extension now sits alongside the original barn.

Energy efficiency has been ensured through the plentiful use of insulation and a determination to make use of solar gain wherever possible, as well as the addition of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, an air source heat pump and a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system (MVHR).

JUDGE NATASHA BRINSMEAD SAYS

Getting a barn conversion right is notoriously tricky — but Richard and Sharon’s project is a great example of how to do it well. They have worked with the existing bones of the agricultural building, reinstating missing elements faithfully where necessary. And the extension! It manages to be subservient to the main barn structure while at the same time standing out as a fine piece of contemporary architecture in its own right — proof, as if it were needed, that contemporary and traditional buildings really can work in harmony together.