Oast Barn, Kent
1995
Location: Kent, UK
Client: Private Client
Project Status: Built
An existing oast barn sitting within apple orchards has been converted into a house for a young family. The exterior of the building remains unchanged, preserving a history of alterations, with the exception of a new 9m-wide opening at ground level facing the apple trees to the south. The new opening has been precisely located below the part of the barn that has a timber structure. This structure has been extended downwards and clad in glass, as the timber clapboard has been used on the storey above.
The original interior of the barn was lost in previous alterations. A single 22m-long living space has been made on the ground floor, gathered around the new south-facing opening. A collection of ‘external’ materials like natural render, polycarbonate and brick are used to modify the scale and enable the inhabitation of the space. The first floor is divided into an interconnected series of large white rooms, whose angled walls and ceiling engage existing window openings and frame the existing timber roof trusses.