Studio Weave has turned a mid-20th-century farm building near Cowes on the Isle of Wight into a family home. South Barn is a 158 square metre barn converted into a three-bedroom house, and, as Nelly Greig writes in Architecture Today, it shows how a rural building can gain a new use without losing its character.
A barn among working fields
The barn stands in working farmland, in a landscape of fields running towards the River Medina. Its weathered materials, simple form and rough edges have been carried into the new home. The architects took a light-touch approach with minimal changes to the existing structure, so that traces of its 50-year history remain visible.
A double-height heart
The centre of the house is a double-height living, dining and kitchen space on the north-northeast side of the barn. A glazed elevation opens it to views over the farmland and lets in soft morning light.
Concrete, timber and site-made details
Cast concrete appears throughout as sturdy benches and worktops, balancing lighter timber finishes and keeping the palette as simple as the barn itself. Studio Weave worked closely with maker Mike of Imphouse and his team, and many details were developed directly on site, which gives the building a made-to-measure quality.
Garden and reuse
With Tom Massey Studio, the architects set out a long-term plan for the garden based on resilient, low-maintenance planting. Old concrete was removed where needed to improve drainage and then crushed for reuse as mulch, cutting the need for imported materials.
Low running costs
The house is oriented against the prevailing wind to reduce heat loss, in line with the barn's original farm logic. An air source heat pump, insulation throughout and double glazing keep running costs low. Founder Je Ahn describes the project as an exploration of "deep reuse": keeping the elements that show the passing of time and reusing materials found on site for both their story and their practical value.
Project credits
- Project: South Barn, near Cowes, Isle of Wight
- Client: private
- Architect: Studio Weave
- Structural engineer: HLS
- Building services: Webb Yates
- Horticulture: Tom Massey Studio
- Contractor: Imphouse
- Photography: Lorenzo Zandri
- Text: Nelly Greig, Architecture Today
- Source: Architecture Today