Lower Barn | Giovanni Agrò

Ironbridge is one of the communities forming the New Aggregated Town of Telford, in Shropshire, UK. It is sited in the central part of the Severn Gorge, a paradise of woods and nature. The development is sited just outside the small town and surrounded by trees and small fields.

The project is a basic outline study for the design of a Garden Extension, which however has a considerable size. The existing building is a small barn, converted into a dwelling about 70 years ago. The client was seeking to enlarge the house in order to create a new and fresh space for herself and create additional bedrooms to host her son’s family during the holiday. The Barn has been reorganised transforming the current living room into a large Guest bedroom able to host up to three people.
The kitchen, which once contained the dining area, has been enlarged. The upper floor has been kept the same except for the smaller bedroom that has been changed into an office.
The extension, connected to the barn through a “glass link” is developed across 2 storeys. On the Ground floor, accessible from the kitchen, there is a wide open space containing a dining area and the new living room. Through the stair, behind the fireplace, the first floor is composed of the master bedroom with en-suite and a large balcony from where chill and relax.

MASSING
The site is composed of a building and a large garden. The existing barn is a traditional and characteristic vernacular piece of architecture of considerably small size, but able to host a 3-bed dwelling. A single built form on this site may have given a bulky aspect to the extension. So, in order to respect the character of the site, but also to satisfy the will of the client, the 2-story extension has been split horizontally, creating a “floating” mass to the first floor and glazed and transparent volume to the ground floor. The upper mass has been designed to resemble and emulate the traditional and vernacular elements in both agricultural and domestic precedents alike in the area with a contemporary spirit using modern materials.
The “floating” massing is sustained by 2 steel-reinforced wood “V” columns to the South side and a masonry wall to the North, ensuring the stability of the structure.

ORIENTATION
The extension has been allocated to the West of the existing barn and develops throughout that side of the garden, perpendicularly to the long side of the existing. The Ground Floor with increased levels of glazing to the living spaces, serves to make the most of natural sunlight, allows for the adoption of a passive solar design strategy, and allows to get the most from the amazing surroundings. The upper floor, whit a more enclosed design to the South, East and North, has a wide glazed opening to the West allowing you to get sunlight only during the later part of the day. Indeed, as the floor is dedicated to Master Bedroom, creates a cosy and comfortable atmosphere where to chill and sleep.