This week’s project on our 15 year anniversary retrospective looks back on a project that demonstrates how thoughtful architecture can respond not just to a client’s immediate needs, but to also support their longer-term ambitions.
This contemporary farmhouse was designed as the first phase of a wider masterplan to develop and diversify an established working farm.
Rather than simply designing a new home, we considered how the farmhouse would sit within the evolving farmstead and how familiar agricultural forms could be reinterpreted to create a modern family home.
The design is formed from two distinct elements. A curved-roof Dutch barn contains the majority of the family accommodation, while a contrasting pitched-roof element creates a striking entrance alongside the farm office and ancillary spaces.
Inside, five generous bedrooms are complemented by a formal living room and a large open-plan kitchen, living and dining space. The principal living areas face west across the surrounding landscape, making the most of expansive countryside views and some spectacular sunsets.
Externally, durable Thermowood cladding is combined with high-performance aluminium windows and doors. Dark grey standing-seam metal cladding frames the entrance, where large-format glazing creates a welcoming focal point and a strong sense of arrival.
The farmhouse was always intended to be the beginning of a much wider picture for the site. We have continued to work with the client on the next phase of the masterplan, developing the technical design for a new complex of holiday accommodation. We secured planning permission for the scheme in 2023 and we have continued to remain supportive during the clients self-build of the cottages, and look forward to seeing the final outcome in the coming months.
Our relationship with this project epitomises that Thinking Buildings want to, and are here to, offer as little or as much support as our clients need in order for them to achieve their ambitions. It’s why, after 15 years, we still love our jobs.
