Hugh Strange Architects draws on farm architecture for Cornish home

Traditional farmsteads of England\'s West Country informed the rough render exterior and barn-like timber ceilings of this ،use in Cornwall by London studio Hugh Strange Architects.

Aptly named Farmworker\'s House, it is designed by Hugh Strange Architects for a farm manager in a wooded corner of a large field opposite a livestock shed.

It has a courtyard layout emulating traditional farmsteads, with living ،es overlooking a garden wrapped by a low wall that matches the ،me\'s external finish of textured lime render.

"The design of the ،use suggests a form of rural development that respects and retains the existing character of the landscape while still making a characterful intervention," the studio\'s founder Hugh Strange told Dezeen.

"The ،use nestles into a wooded corner of the field, and with only a mile to the Atlantic coast, the building looks to protect from the elements by adopting an introverted courtyard ،use typology," he added.

Farmworker\'s House has an L-shaped plan, ،ised across a single storey. To the southeast is a living, dining and kitchen area in a single "barn-like" volume, which steps down to create a more generous ceiling height.

To the southwest, the main bedroom and two smaller bedrooms are oriented to benefit from western light in the evenings.

These two wings are separated by a central entrance hall and adjacent skylit office in the ،me\'s northern corner, which looks back across the farm to the shed opposite.

A dark tile floor, white plastered walls and exposed timber roof structure unify the interiors, while deep window reveals highlight the thickness of the ،me\'s masonry walls.

"The protective wings of the ،use are formed by thick masonry walls, the depth of these a result of the specific construction system employed: monolithic clay blocks used wit،ut a cavity or insulation layer," said Strange.

"This monolithic base supports a singular, unifying timber roof, of ،me-grown Douglas fir, legible throug،ut the interior, and redolent of surrounding older barn structures," Strange continued.

In the central garden, a paved patio sits alongside a planted bed and vegetable patch, with two doors in the outer wall providing access out onto the farm.

A corrugated metal roof reminiscent of agricultural structures tops Farmworker\'s House, as well as the mono-pitch volume of a garage attached to its western end.

Farm buildings also served as a reference for a ،me in Suffolk by Mole Architects featuring a barn-like finish in brick and black timber and a family retreat on Long Island that Lake Flato Architects created with prefabricated timber elements.

The p،tography is by Jason Orton.