Turning an agricultural building into a calm, modern home is a balancing act: keep the character, upgrade the comfort, and avoid overcomplicating the details.
South Barn is a great example. Architect Je Ahn (Studio Weave) took a “light-touch” approach to renovating an old barn into a single-storey family home, focusing on simplicity and letting original materials take centre stage.
A key part of the design is the double-height glazed elevation that runs along a significant stretch of the building, bringing daylight deep into the open-plan living space while keeping the architecture understated. Je specified VELFAC 200 because the slim, clean profiles stay visually quiet and help preserve the barn’s original lines rather than competing with them.
There are also a few practical lessons self-builders and renovators will appreciate:
- Orientation matters. A large glazed area could risk overheating on a southerly aspect, but here it faces northeast, helping to manage solar gain (with useful winter morning warmth).
- Ventilation and exposure matter too. The site gets strong winds along that elevation, so the sliding door mechanism was chosen for secure, flexible ventilation.
- Materiality is part of the architecture. Inside, clear-lacquered timber adds warmth; outside, anodised aluminium offers durability and complements the facade aesthetic.
In the bedrooms, the approach stays consistent: instead of multiple window types, each room uses a single sliding door to the garden for light, access, and a clean, minimal look.
If you’re at the stage of refining elevations, sightlines, or glazing proportions on a renovation or self-build, South Barn is worth a look for the detailing alone.
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