Studio Brassica balances heritage and ecological obligations in its refurbished and extended arts and crafts building
This Grade II-listed Arts & Crafts stable block sits in an idyllic countryside setting near the Welsh-English border in Monmouthshire. Built in 1906 alongside a main house, the original building included a tack room, hay loft and coach house. However, over time, the structure lost its original purpose and needed substantial repair.
Studio Brassica was commissioned to refurbish and extend the stable block, transforming it into a beautiful and functional new home for the client, an extended multi-generation family group. The project sensitively balances heritage and ecological obligations, along with upgrading the building to the latest sustainable technologies and ensuring thermal comfort.
Inspired by the Arts & Crafts fabric, Studio Brassica employed simple materials, detailing and variation in a spirited way, making the old harmonise with the new. Original external sliding doors have become internal doors and west-facing external shutters. Sawtooth bricks create a dynamic weave effect on the facade and reflect the changing light. These are glazed dark green on the front to echo fireplace tiles in the main house.
Active and passive sustainability measures have been incorporated into the design. Most notably, a substantial section of the south facade has been opened up to bring warming daylight to a dark tiled floor for passive heating during the winter months. Glazing replaces solid sliding doors, and innovative pivoting louvres were devised to form a privacy screen and sun-shading device. The system uses a simple gear mechanism and is manually controlled using a hand-operated repurposed cartwheel.
The jury praised the sensitivity and imagination of the retrofit. ‘The design introduces lightness and humour through an architectural language that complements the original building without being constrained by it,’ it reported. ‘Sustainability is woven into the building’s narrative... existing elements are thoughtfully re-purposed rather than replaced, reinforcing the project’s commitment to both heritage and innovation’.
What is your favourite feature of the house?
Claire Priest and Ben Crawley The pivoting louvres in the main living space, which were developed with local metalworkers and constructed off site. They were inspired by the adjacent period vinehouse and can be operated by hand using a salvaged cartwheel. It provides a delightful, mindful daily ritual of opening and closing.
While we always knew the living room would be a special place, it continues to surprise us. The sunlight really animates the space and brings a great warmth to the room when bouncing off the terracotta-coloured louvres.
What was the greatest challenge?
There were many challenges, but a key one was finding the right contractors and craftsmen. We had a lot of meetings with different builders during the tender process to find the right skill sets. The project contained both detailed heritage items and contemporary aspects and it was difficult to find builders with a good mix of the two.
A good relationship during construction was essential as it allowed us to work collaboratively to retain the design intent and find cost-effective solutions.
What lessons from the project could be applied elsewhere?
We believe that finding innovative ways to make the most of existing buildings is critical to address the climate crisis.
In this project, we were lucky to have the opportunity to repurpose a remarkable listed building and salvage lots of existing materials and features. Although balancing environmental and modern requirements with heritage concerns was challenging, gaining the support and trust of the council heritage team early on was critical to moving the project forwards in a proactive way.
If we can get this balance right in future projects, we can not only conserve resources, but also connect with history, and create places that improve people’s quality of life.