Hidden in a small Herefordshire hamlet near the Welsh border town of Presteigne is the Wain House. The site, originally part of a medieval farmstead is home to a Grade II Listed Cart Shed, converted into a dwelling in the mid 1990’s. The new dwelling has allowed much of the mid 90’s work to be reversed and the Cart Shed to be sensitively restored.
Siting a new dwelling next to the cart shed without overwhelming it is achieved by splitting the house into two separate elements that reference the form, massing and layout of nearby agricultural structures dotted across the settlement. Each element accommodates a main living space linked via a circulation corridor recessed into the site so that as occupants move through the house they are immersed into the garden and landscape.
A considered palette of traditional clay tiles, local stone, oak and Herefordshire gravel is used to create a dialogue with the old cart shed and wider context.
Environmental considerations have been integrated with the overall design strategy, for example bedding the house into the landscape provides thermal mass, but at the same time ensures the buildings scale does not overwhelm the adjacent cart shed.
Glazing on the circulation hall is aligned due South to benefit from passive heat gains. To manage heat gains a timber trellis spans over the glazing allowing climbing plants to provide shade in the summer and, once leaves drop, natural light and heat gains in the colder months.
Project Credits
Contractors: Firth Construction
Structural Engineer: Donald McIntyre Design
Photography: Mat Price