bureau de change combines interlocking barn volumes for house in rural england

london-based architecture studio bureau de change has reinterpreted the rural vernacular of cotswolds, south central england, to create the long house, a residence comprising interlocking barn forms and a palette of local materials. paying close attention to the area’s historic building practices and approaches, the studio has combined dry stone, natural and charred larch for the building’s exterior, envisaging a slow process of weathering and age that will further embed the new home into its surroundings.

all images by gilbert mccarragher

drawing from the site’s former use, bureau de change has developed the long house as a reinterpretation of traditional rural structures. ‘we took the elongated forms of two 30 meter-long, timber chicken sheds as the starting point for the new design,’ explains billy mavropoulos, co-founder of the studio. ‘the house then became a play of traditional barn volumes which have been pushed and pulled to suit the needs of the client.’ the front volume has been cut in two to accommodate an internal patio behind the main elevation, while the back volume is extruded to double height, creating a point of interest where the two barns interlock and are pushed into one another.

a building within a building at the far end of the front barn encloses a studio for the artist owner, while part of the second volume has been ‘broken off’, forming an annex adjacent to the main house. key interior spaces have been developed around the patio, which, clad in glazed ceramic tiles, acts s a focal point for the home and invites nature and light within the project.

materially, the house has been built with close attention to local historic building practices, generating a language which both revives and reinterprets the vernacular. ‘the front barn has been built in dry stone wall by a local craftsman, chosen not only for its local relevance but for its inherent qualities of mass and muscularity,’ notes co-founder katerina dionysopoulou. ‘this façade is monolithic, with fewer openings to produce a heavier, solid volume at the front. as a counterpoint, the taller barn at the back is clad in a lighter-weight natural larch which has been charred to a deep leathery black at each window recess. this charring has then been brushed away to gently blend it into the natural larch – creating an ombré effect which emphasises the rhythmic push and pull of the window indentations.’ construction meets passive house principles with an insulated concrete formwork system creating a thermal envelope, limited openings on the south-facing façade, triple glazed window units and a heat recovery ventilation system to maintain air quality year-round.