Sandy Rendel Architects' joyful barn conversion has won South East Regional Small Project of the Year with its client picking up South East Regional Client of the Year
Sandy Rendel Architects for private client
Contract value: £496,000
GIA: 219m²
Cost per m²: £2,265
This home sits within 3.2ha of public prairie gardens. The conversion of the Dutch Barn took advantage of planning rules that allow conversion of agricultural buildings outside of traditional development boundaries.
Through careful detailing and research into materials, the building retains the feel of the original ‘black wrinkly tin’ barn, whilst the large, abstractly-positioned windows give a contemporary look that speaks of the ways that such barns are patched over time.
The real magic is upstairs. Rough-sawn timber stairs lead up to a single large space with a great curving vaulted ceiling which follows the shape of the roof, a space that feels grand and yet also intimate and warm. A final flourish encapsulates the project’s joyful nature: a cylindrical corten tower, suggestive of grain silos, that is both public viewing platform and, at night, a secluded private terrace accessed across a bridge from the house.
South East RIBA Regional Award 2022
South East Regional Client of the Year 2022
South East Regional Small Project of the Year 2022 sponsored by Gaggenau
See the rest of the South East winners here
And all the RIBA Regional Awards here