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Hawthbush Extension
Hawthbush Extension
Project Featured on Nov 07, 2015
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Other Projects by Mole Architects
Hawthbush Extension
Project Featured on Nov 07, 2015
Client Brief
In place of an existing 70’s extension, the
clients required an extension that was sympathetic to the integrity of the
original Grade II listed 17th century farmhouse, but which provided additional
space and a spacious kitchen diner with lots of glazing providing views out.
They weren’t keen on creating a 'radical' ultra-modern extension but did want
to avoid a pastiche of the old. They wanted a modern space with ‘good flow,’
ideal for a growing family and a practical addition to a working farm. They
identified an appreciation for natural materials - wood cladding, glass, lead,
copper and definitely wanted sustainability. When asked to produce a list of
rooms Lisa (one of the clients) instead presented MOLE with a pot she had made,
saying, “I don’t know what I mean by it, but there’s something about this pot
that conveys what I feel about the extension.”
Planning Constraints
The scheme is located in the within the Low
Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, close the boundary of the High Wield.
It won approval following a site history of refusals. The scheme was designed
following research into the historic development of farmyards within the Weald -
well documented/published by Forum Heritage Services for the Joint Advisory
Committee of the High Weald AONB (JCA 122), based on 3500 farmstead sites analysed
on historic maps. Both High and Low Weald are characterised by high densities
of isolated farmsteads, which comprise small scale groups of individual
farmyard structures. These historic farmsteads are characterised by: ‘Loose
Courtyards,’ ‘L-plans’ and ‘Dispursed Clusters.’. JCA 122 notes that Dispersed Cluster
is most prevalent in the High Weald, and the scheme adopts this formal pattern.
The extension is designed to be redolent of an agricultural building adjacent
to the farmhouse. This form decreases the extension’s apparent scale, allowing
greater prominence to the farmhouse. Two meetings held at pre-application stage
with planners from Wealden District Council, suggested that further thought/background
was required on the location of the extension, and relationship to existing
house. These comments were considered and alternative locations tested in CAD
model form and discussed at a further meeting, during which it was agreed that
the logic of the original location was acceptable, and difficulties in the
revised location (in terms of sunlight penetration and incorporation into the
plan) made it less feasible.
Materials & Methods of Construction
Attached while visually separated from the
existing farmhouse, the extension provides a contemporary reinterpretation of
local farmsteads. It is constructed from reclaimed brick from a nearby
farmhouse, with a glulam timber frame barrel-vaulted roof structure covered in terne-coated
steel. A glass link provides access into the farmhouse while giving breathing space
to the new extension. The ground floor of the extension contains a generous
south-facing family kitchen and above, a master bedroom enjoys the vault. Alongside
other alterations carried out by the client to the existing house, including a
revised entry for a more accessible drop off, the extension helps make the original
building function better as a family home. Ultimately, the overall plan, including the extension, makes
use of the site, the sun, the revised entry, and organises the house better.
The clients project managed construction and the extension forms part of a
broader ongoing sustainable development strategy organised across the larger
collection of buildings that make up Hawthbush farmyard. While this strategy is
not part of the project £220K budget, it is worth noting as it forms the
framework within which the project sits. This strategy includes a 50KW woodchip
boiler, 10KW array of solar PV, MHRV system and a borehole for house water. The
Client ensured all hardcore was provided on site and all soil disposal dealt
with on site. The solar PV and boiler fuelled by woodchip generated on-site and
installed by the client as part of the larger strategy generate all electrical
and heating requirements for the house and extension.
In place of an existing 70’s extension, the
clients required an extension that was sympathetic to the integrity of the
original Grade II listed 17th century farmhouse, but which provided additional
space and a spacious kitchen diner with lots of glazing providing views out.
They weren’t keen on creating a 'radical' ultra-modern extension but did want
to avoid a pastiche of the old. They wanted a modern space with ‘good flow,’
ideal for a growing family and a practical addition to a working farm. They
identified an appreciation for natural materials - wood cladding, glass, lead,
copper and definitely wanted sustainability. When asked to produce a list of
rooms Lisa (one of the clients) instead presented MOLE with a pot she had made,
saying, “I don’t know what I mean by it, but there’s something about this pot
that conveys what I feel about the extension.”
Planning Constraints
The scheme is located in the within the Low
Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, close the boundary of the High Wield.
It won approval following a site history of refusals. The scheme was designed
following research into the historic development of farmyards within the Weald -
well documented/published by Forum Heritage Services for the Joint Advisory
Committee of the High Weald AONB (JCA 122), based on 3500 farmstead sites analysed
on historic maps. Both High and Low Weald are characterised by high densities
of isolated farmsteads, which comprise small scale groups of individual
farmyard structures. These historic farmsteads are characterised by: ‘Loose
Courtyards,’ ‘L-plans’ and ‘Dispursed Clusters.’. JCA 122 notes that Dispersed Cluster
is most prevalent in the High Weald, and the scheme adopts this formal pattern.
The extension is designed to be redolent of an agricultural building adjacent
to the farmhouse. This form decreases the extension’s apparent scale, allowing
greater prominence to the farmhouse. Two meetings held at pre-application stage
with planners from Wealden District Council, suggested that further thought/background
was required on the location of the extension, and relationship to existing
house. These comments were considered and alternative locations tested in CAD
model form and discussed at a further meeting, during which it was agreed that
the logic of the original location was acceptable, and difficulties in the
revised location (in terms of sunlight penetration and incorporation into the
plan) made it less feasible.
Materials & Methods of Construction
Attached while visually separated from the
existing farmhouse, the extension provides a contemporary reinterpretation of
local farmsteads. It is constructed from reclaimed brick from a nearby
farmhouse, with a glulam timber frame barrel-vaulted roof structure covered in terne-coated
steel. A glass link provides access into the farmhouse while giving breathing space
to the new extension. The ground floor of the extension contains a generous
south-facing family kitchen and above, a master bedroom enjoys the vault. Alongside
other alterations carried out by the client to the existing house, including a
revised entry for a more accessible drop off, the extension helps make the original
building function better as a family home. Ultimately, the overall plan, including the extension, makes
use of the site, the sun, the revised entry, and organises the house better.
The clients project managed construction and the extension forms part of a
broader ongoing sustainable development strategy organised across the larger
collection of buildings that make up Hawthbush farmyard. While this strategy is
not part of the project £220K budget, it is worth noting as it forms the
framework within which the project sits. This strategy includes a 50KW woodchip
boiler, 10KW array of solar PV, MHRV system and a borehole for house water. The
Client ensured all hardcore was provided on site and all soil disposal dealt
with on site. The solar PV and boiler fuelled by woodchip generated on-site and
installed by the client as part of the larger strategy generate all electrical
and heating requirements for the house and extension.
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