DUTCH BARN HOUSE
Rx Architects
ARCHITECTS
Rx Architects
LEAD TEAM
Amelia Finch
DESIGN TEAM
Rx Architects
ENGINEERING & CONSULTING > STRUCTURAL
Erigo
PHOTOGRAPHS
The Modern House
AREA
312 m²
YEAR
2022
LOCATION
Horsmonden, United Kingdom
CATEGORY
Houses, Refurbishment
English description provided by the architects.
Set within a rural landscape of wildflower meadows, hops, woodland, and orchards, this Dutch barn conversion transforms a redundant agricultural structure into a contemporary home while respecting its farming heritage.
The project exemplifies RX Architects' approach of close collaboration with clients, transforming agricultural buildings through contemporary design and high environmental performance.
The resulting family home, delivered on a modest budget, balances expansive barn-like volumes with intimate spaces, all unified by a restrained and tactile material palette.
Reusing the existing metal and timber frame of the old barn presented both structural and site challenges, particularly with a stream running directly alongside the building's base.
The solution was to overclad the structure while leaving the original galvanized corrugated roofing in place to form an internal ceiling, preserving the barn's character.
Unused timbers from the existing frame were repurposed across the stream, creating temporary construction access that now remains as a small bridge, connecting the family home to the surrounding fields.
The original steel frame and curved corrugated roof are retained and expressed internally, preserving the barn's volumetric clarity.
The envelope is thermally upgraded and wrapped in a new curved red corrugated steel roof, while elevations combine larch timber cladding, corrugated galvanized metal, and concrete sheeting, creating a robust yet refined material palette.
Deep timber-lined recesses form sheltered entrances, extending the indoor-outdoor threshold and allowing year-round use.
Long, linear triple-glazed windows to the open-plan living space frame views of the surrounding landscape, reinforcing a strong visual and spatial connection to the site.
High-performance timber-frame walls with wood fibre insulation, combined with a concrete floor slab, enhance thermal mass and energy efficiency.
Internally, polished concrete floors meet walls finished in Tadelakt — a traditional Moroccan plaster — adding tactility and warmth while maintaining the building's industrial character.
Sustainability is integral: a roof-mounted photovoltaic array and air source heat pump provide low-carbon energy, delivering a building that is both contemporary and contextually responsive.
