old shed new house
old shed new house
a collection of books nestling in a copse of birch trees
a gallery of light grows out of an avenue of birches
BD House Architect Award 2019
Stephen Lawrence Prize 2018
RIBA National Award 2018
RIBA Yorkshire Award 2018
RIBA Yorkshire Small Project of the Year Award 2018
GAGA Architecture Award 2018
AJ Retrofit Award House of the Year: £250,000-£500,000 2018
An existing agricultural shed on the site – once a container for tools and tractors – is now a container for a lifetime collection of books and art. The steel frame and ground slab have been repurposed and enlarged, retaining the original form of the shed. Newly clad in varied widths of shot-blasted timber and galvanised steel fins, the rhythmic facade reads like the bark of the silver birch trees that characterise the site. The surrounding landscape is pulled into the building’s two principle double-height volumes through large axial openings. A long gallery, orientated east-west with the site’s long tree-lined approach, draws visitors in from afar and frames the rising and setting sun from within.
“With its modest and clever plan, sensitivity to context, and brilliant detailing – this is a complex project made to look very simple by enormous architectural skill.”
- AJ Retrofit 2018 Winner Jury
client private
location north yorkshire, uk
size 210 sqm
status completed 2017
structural engineer rodrigues associates
contractor vine house construction
m&e engineer integration
photography matthew burnett