Working within the UK’s planning system can be a challenging feat, especially when blessed with a rural location.

We were tasked with investigating the feasibility of adding additional accommodation to a farmstead hotel by turning a disused machinery barn into guest suites. Our solution elegantly complies with the various size and design requirements set by local planners, without obviously changing the look and feel of the site.

The design maintains existing concrete foundations and steel structure and situates the new building within the existing envelope. In response to both light pollution and privacy concerns, we proposed a series of closable full height timber shutters in front of the private loggias, facing a re-landscaped courtyard garden.

What once gave shelter to old tractors will now accommodate guests, diversifying the farm’s income whilst strengthening the site’s authentically utilitarian atmosphere.