Mill Farm
Conversion of outbuilding
Oxfordshire
The external shell of the existing building is altered as little as possible. No new openings are proposed, but existing ones would be glazed, and a blocked up window at high level on the west gable wall would be reinstated.
A service block - containing electrical, water & drainage runs and housing WCs / bathrooms - is carefully positioned to provide maximum flexibility in the layout of a number of possible uses. In domestic configurations kitchens are positioned against or close to this core. Stairs are also configured to work with a number of different internal arrangements.
The service block is imagined as a building ‘stored’ within a building. It is positioned to avoid blocking light and views from the existing windows, and is angled to maintain the view directly through the barn. The frame structure of the block - proposed as timber frames infilled with pale / whitewashed blockwork - references traditional framed barn construction, while the surface grid and panel ar- rangement and pitched roof are reminiscent of large items of traditional furniture from the middle ages onwards, which often resembled small classical buildings.
Photography © Timothy Smith & Jonathan Taylor LLP.
Photography © Timothy Smith & Jonathan Taylor LLP.
Photography © Timothy Smith & Jonathan Taylor LLP.