Cedar Barn
Fieldwork Architects has transformed the site of former stables and barns in the rural landscape of East Anglia into a flexible new home designed for everyday living and creative use. Conceived as a series of connected spaces that frame views across the countryside, the project reworks a former agricultural setting into a warm, contemporary family environment.
The brief called for a home that could maximise connection to the countryside, providing areas for entertaining, relaxation, and retreat, while also supporting creative pursuits, offering spaces that could be enjoyed both together and independently.
The project is arranged as two barn volumes that can function either as a whole or separately, linked by a lightweight timber colonnade. The concept draws on the idea of a periscope: elevating key spaces to look beyond the tree line and capture wider views, which in turn inform the more creative and inward-looking spaces within the rear barn.
In the front barn, an elevated cedar-clad volume frames views across the landscape, while a sunken conversation pit and sauna below create a more enclosed setting for rest and relaxation. In the rear barn, three timber volumes are arranged within the open plan space, with the central element lifted to overlook the interior and provide integrated storage beneath. These internal “boxes” are key to the design, helping to define different zones and also maintain a clear architectural language that unifies both buildings.
Throughout, it was important to retain the language of the original barns. The primary steel structure is left exposed, with structural timber posts reintroduced to support the main frame and the elevated volumes, maintaining a connection to the site’s agricultural heritage.
Internally, a palette of cedar, Douglas fir ply, and cork is used extensively to bring warmth and texture, set against steel frame and polished concrete floors. The timber elements are carefully detailed to ensure the elevated volumes and inserted spaces feel both integrated and clearly defined. The use of Douglas fir extends to bespoke joinery and internal linings, with natural finishes highlighting the grain, while inset cork flooring softens the internal spaces of the boxes and is integrated into steps and thresholds.
Bespoke joinery and detailing were developed in collaboration with TG + Co., working closely with the client and drawing on their interest in mid-century design. This is expressed through the kitchen, integrated storage, and a central fireplace clad in hand-painted tiles, which anchors the space and is framed by the surrounding joinery.
The staircase is a key feature within the interior, bringing together the project’s industrial and domestic languages. A central steel structure supports cantilevered treads, which extend from the kitchen island below and are clad in cherry timber. The stair is expressed as it passes through the island, with metal spindles rising to form a handrail that connects to the volume above.
The project incorporates an air source heat pump and photovoltaic panels, alongside high levels of insulation, underfloor heating, and triple glazing to enhance energy efficiency. Natural ventilation is achieved through operable skylights and cross-ventilation, while a sustainable drainage system (SuDS) was implemented to manage water across the site.
