10 years ago, an English family purchased an old farm on which a dilapidated 18th-century house was located, which in the past was used as housing and a barn at the same time. When the couple began to make repairs, the architect suggested that they not limit themselves to the barn, but build an extension to it, which was done. The implementation of the project took a long 10 years, but after examining the results of the work, the Royal Institute of British Architects recognized the building as the best house in England in 2021. The owners of the site explained to journalists that initially they did not plan to make the barn itself a residential building. They rebuilt it as a gallery, where they exhibited their constantly updated collection. The black extension became the house, which took the bulk of the construction time.
To solve the living space issue, the family brought in architect Alison Brooks, recognized as one of the best architects of her generation. Experts mention her name on a par with Zaha Hadi. Brooks’ architectural approach is based on the cultural connotations of the site.
To the barn, after a meeting with the owners, Brooks decided to add a 300 square meter west wing, where they moved the bedrooms, guest rooms, kitchen and a small gallery with panoramic views.
In fact, the entire space of the house is a single whole:
The extension is partially integrated into the hillside, which allowed the old barn to remain the dominant point in the space. The work with geometry impressed the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) so much that the project was awarded the status of the winner in the UK House of the Year 2021 category. The Brooks project will also enter international competitions. Maybe he will win here too.
