Hugh Strange Architects . photos: © Jason Orton
Recalling the enclosed moorland farmsteads of the West Country, this single storey courtyard house for a farm manager nestles into the wooded corner of a field. With only a mile to the Atlantic coast, the building looks to protect from the elements by adopting an introverted courtyard house typology; the two arms of its L-shape plan sheltering a south facing garden. Although by necessity the house is close to the neighbouring livestock barn, its domesticity does not intrude into the agricultural setting, asserting its presence without diminishing the character of the field.
The protective wings of the house are formed by thick masonry walls of monolithic clay blocks, simply finished with textured lime render to the exterior and lime plaster on the inside, ensuring the house is both warm and breathable. This monolithic base supports a singular, unifying timber roof, legible throughout the interior, and redolent of surrounding older barn structures.
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