The award-winning scheme seeks to convert and rationalise a group of farm buildings into a single residential house; celebrating the existing qualities of the barns, whilst making bold contemporary interventions.
Situated in the Peak District, Artemis Barn had remained in agricultural use for over 250 years until it became derelict in the 1990’s, suffering from a fire and subsequent disuse. The conversion ensures its preservation as an integral part of the fabric of the village. In converting the barn, the client sought to celebrate the existing qualities of the original building whilst creating a bold contemporary home.
The real challenge lay in working with the constraints of the original building. Planning restrictions limited scope for new openings, particularly to the North wall, a long and blank facade. The resulting plan challenges the expected norms of a new home; a living room without a view, a principal bedroom next to the main entrance, and spaces for eating and relaxing defined within the openness of the existing volume.
The project juxtaposes small, warm intimate spaces with the larger triple height volume of the original barn.
The house is at once intimate and vast; new spaces inserted into the major volume, each distinguished through form and material. Small, warm intimate spaces are juxtaposed internally with the larger triple height volume of the original barn. The kitchen and sound room read as insertions within this space. At first floor, the former hayloft level houses three new bedrooms and a bathroom. The space below this houses a mixture of service rooms, as well as a single ensuite ground floor bedroom, essential to creating a home fit for multi-generational living.
Daylight is key; thoughtful positioning of the windows animates the building throughout the year. The materials used clearly delineate, yet reinforce, the agricultural past of the building. The new reclaimed stone roof restores the mass of the original building, punctured by a large roof light dropping light into the heart of the space. Internally, timber is used in both rough and refined finished. Concrete and steel are left in a raw state, and stone is exposed. The expressive, simple palette of materials embodies both the skill and enjoyment of the local craftsmen who have worked on the project.
Windows set deep into openings retain the legibility of the original building. A giant glazed sliding door ensures that the cart door opening can still be read, whilst enhancing the relationship with the external courtyard. Internally, the original volume is enhanced by clear delineation between old and new materials.
Artemis Barn demonstrates the beautiful results that can be achieved through building close working relationships between client, architect, and local craftsmen. Both material and spatial quality enhance the experience of living within the former barn. Each room has its own unique character yet remains cohesive with the wider house. Whilst the project challenges the preconceptions of what a house within a conservation area has to be, the process has not been straightforward. Working creatively has enabled the team to overcome obstacles of the planning system, as well as manage the sensitivities of working within a small community, who have enjoyed seeing the building evolve into a home.
