We were approached by an entrepreneurial couple, with a large and growing family, to help them refurbish the house they had just bought on a twenty acre estate in Berkshire. The house, dating from the 19th century, had been added to in a piece meal fashion by various owners with very mixed results: a series of awkwardly arranged and disconnected rooms that were very dark and did not suit modern family life. Our brief was twofold: firstly to rationalise the internal layout of the existing house while maximising the views onto the garden and grounds; and secondly to increase the living accommodation by adding an extension. This would balance the existing L-shaped plan of the house with an additional wing to enclose the front driveway.

The extension is set on a lower part of the garden which allowed us to create high ceilinged spaces, without it dominating the main house. The form of the building is drawn from the typical barn structures that can be found in the local area as well as on the estate itself. The structure is clad in red cedar strips that is broken by the triangular glass panels at the gable ends and the large expanse of glazing on the garden side and three vertical strips on the side facing the driveway.  The slate roofing matches that of the existing house but detailed in a crisp and contemporary way. Two double height family areas, a gym and a study are housed within this extension.