Barton Farm

The purpose of this application was to seek approval for the demolition of a number of existing barns, and for the replacement with a sensitively designed family home which also seeks to improve access to the local primary school.

Project Location:

Monkleigh, Devon

Project Size:

420m2

Service:

RIBA Stages 0-6

Completion:

Late 2026

Due to the root protecting area the building has been primarily kept to the East side of the site and orientated North South to minimise creep into the protection zone. This also allows the building to sit back from the tree allowing it to be appreciated from within the house. Access to the site is via the 2 external entrance courtyards, these have been defined by the feature stone spine walls that run through the building. The building has been positioned intentionally back from the street to reduce / minimise visual impact from the access road. This also follows the building line of the neighbour (The Old School House) to the North, this maintains the urban grain of the village along the lane.

The main entrance courtyards are a key part of the design and reinforce an agricultural typology that has been reinterpreted at a smaller scale. These frame key views out of the site as well as form an interesting sequence to arrival. The concept of the design is the combination of sympathetically scaled and orientated first floor volumes that sit on feature stone spine walls that define courtyards and circulation spaces. The stone walls, that only appear on the ground floor, define the thresholds between courtyards or help guide the user along linear circulation routes that transfer from both the outside to the inside. The stone is a references to the materiality of the church and the adjacent farm buildings of the original Barton farm. The stone helps create texture and interest to the ground floors, and possesses a weight that grounds /roots the building, giving it a sense of permanence.