An old brick barn transforms into contemporary home by David Nossiter Architects
27/12/2016.
[Suffolk] UK
metalocus, INÉS LALUETA
metalocus, INÉS LALUETA
The former barn's cruciform plan with brick walls and a high timber ceiling was originally designed by a pioneer of experimental farming methods to provide shelter for a range of farming activities under a single roof. Today is part of a heritage local list.
Outside vision. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Outside vision. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Access. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Access. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view, access bedrooms. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view, access bedrooms. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view, access bedrooms. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view, access bedrooms. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view, bedrooms. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view, bedrooms. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view, corridor. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view, corridor. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Interior view. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Model. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Model. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects. Photograph © Steve Lancefield
Ground floor plan. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects.
Longitudinal section. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects.
Cross section. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects.
Before remodeling. New Church Hill Barn by David Nossiter Architects.
Its currently remodeling in a new dwelling is the result a project by David Nossiter Architects.
Description of project by David Nossiter Architects
The site, situated on the Essex/Suffolk borders within the landscape immortalised by Constable was originally the home farm of the nearby Assington Hall Estate, destroyed by fire in the 1950s. It consists of a collection of farm buildings forming a courtyard. The centrepiece of the site with views over the rural landscape is a large barn of cathedral-like proportions.
Cruciform in plan with a collection of smaller spaces surrounding it, the arrangement sought to provide shelter for different farming activities under a single roof. The barn complex is the legacy of one of its pioneering exponents of the model farm movement John Gurdon Esquire, the original owner.
The clients purchased the buildings in dilapidated condition. Having sold their own property in nearby Colchester they decided to reside in a caravan on the site during the build.
A large component of the renovations consisted of the refurbishment of the roof. In order to allow the existing structure to be viewed internally but still conform to modern standards of thermal performance, the roof is a ‘warm roof construction’ meaning that all of the insulation is located on the exterior of the roof above a new timber deck.
Roofing slates and timber materials were salvaged from the other agricultural structures on the site that were too decayed to be usefully renovated.
The external walls were insulated with sheep’s wool and clad with larch timber, which has been left to weather naturally. The original openings have been simply fenestrated with glazing set back from the external wall line. Oversized bespoke glazed sliding doors fill the hipped gable porches, allowing views from the courtyard towards open fields. Two three-metre square roof lights allow day light deep into the interior of the eight-metre tall central spaces.
Polished concrete flooring flows throughout. It was decided early on during the design process to keep the spaces as open plan as possible. Where necessary partitions and screens are designed as over scaled furniture. Freestanding and constructed from birch faced plywood sheets, they help to organise the spaces, providing privacy for bathrooms and sleeping areas.
A biomass boiler feeds underfloor heating assisted by a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system.
More information
David Nossiter
David Nossiter BA (Hons) Dip Arch RIBA studied at Plymouth, under Professor Adrian Gale and at The Bartlett, University College London, Schools of Architecture, under Professor Jonathan Hill. Following ten years in practice working with Proctor and Matthews, Mole, Ellis Williams and others, David was elected an RIBA member in 2001. During this time David worked on many influential commercial and residential projects, including The Baltic Arts Centre, Gateshead and innovative housing projects at Greenwich Millennium Village and New Hall, Harlow. David set up his London-based RIBA Chartered Architectural practice in 2005 and has a proven track record of creating beautiful and innovative residential designs. Many of these projects have been featured in local, architectural and lifestyle publications, as well as books
