Cart Barn Conversion
G2 Architects approach to the conversion was to reintroduce the open character of the 18th century cart barn by exposing the original columns and clearly distinguishing the new modern elements.
The entrance lobby provides access to the ground floor studio and to the loft space home office above via a beautifully crafted staircase that wraps around a cupboard with an inset handrail to maximise width of the stairs.
The secluded home office occupies half of the loft space with a store room in the adjacent bay and access to a bat loft above the open carport, that replaces a roost for the colony temporarily displaced by the refurbishment.
The overarching design strategy for the conversion was to preserve/repair the original structure and to be as ‘light touch’ as possible, avoiding any additional loads being imposed on to the existing building fabric, such that the new works could be removed without detriment to the original.
The floor joists were hung from steel beams, threaded through the existing roof trusses and supported on brick piers or steel posts away from the external walls and columns. The steel beams to the bat loft floor have bolted connections and can be removed if the bats relocate to expose the original roof form and timbers.
The integrity of the original barn structure has been maintained throughout and the new elements, including the bespoke windows in the gable wall, have been designed for future removal with minimal impact on the original building fabric.