Courtyard Annex
Set within the expansive grounds of a Grade-II listed manor home in East Sussex, parts of which date to the 15th century, the Courtyard Annex is a proposed secondary, ancillary dwelling space.
The intention is to replace an existing substantial old farm building, historically used for animal husbandry as a pig shed and most recently for storage, that has since fallen into disrepair. An existing timber frame structure is clad in a corrugated metal skin.
Whilst the proposal draws reference to traditional barns and outbuildings as well as Arts and Crafts designs, particularly The Homestead by C.F.A. Voysey, it is no doubt a contemporary addition embedded within its setting and context.
A utilitarian and robust material palette is proposed, nodding to the historically agricultural setting — pigmented blockwork, fair faced concrete lintels, clay roof tiles and galvanised steel rainwater goods — and elegantly detailed. This pragmatic and uncomplicated approach is maintained internally with lime-slurried brick and exposed timber finishes.
The proposed volume is articulated to form new courtyards; a modest entrance on the approach, a private garden courtyard enclosed on three sides by the living, dining and sleeping spaces, and a secondary entrance from the utility room.
The entrance ushers into a double-height brick volume, pierced with windows at high level to bring natural light to the interior, around which the communal spaces pivot and unfold into one another. Masonry walls have a brawny thickness, with niches and recesses, referencing the thick stone walls of the main house.
