Glazing Vision’s Flushglaze rooflights have helped transform a listed barn into a contemporary home
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Architect David Nossiter’s sensitive conversion of a listed but derelict agricultural barn on the Suffolk/Essex border into a contemporary family home has won ‘Restoration of the Year’ at Sunday Times British Homes Awards 2017. Central to the project are Glazing Vision’s Flushglaze fixed rooflights, which flood the atrium living space with daylight.
Tough challenges require innovative design
Renovating Church Hill Barn posed a number of challenges for Nossiter and his clients – not least installing a new roof and insulation to meet modern-day standards. To this end the architect salvaged roof slates and timber from other derelict buildings on the site, and employed a warm roof construction. Sheep’s wool is used to insulate the larch-clad external walls, and the original fenestration has been retained. A pair of oversized glass sliding doors fills the hipped gable porches, maintaining a strong visual connection with the landscape.
Maximising light and space
Retaining the barn’s cathedral-like open-plan space was of key importance to the clients. Conceived as oversized pieces of furniture, birch plywood partitions and screens provide the necessary privacy for bathrooms and bedrooms. A polished concrete floor is intended to create a ‘continuous flow’ of space throughout the building, as well as reflect light from the windows and doorways.
Rooflights unlock natural daylight
The eight-metre floor-to-ceiling height and exposed timber roof structure raised another important design issue – how to ensure adequate natural light in the centre of the space? Exposed brickwork and timber panelling on the internal walls and kitchen area threatened to further compromise daylight levels, leading to an over-dependence on artificial lighting.
The planners had originally requested ‘heritage’ rooflights to replace the existing corrugated plastic-covered openings in the roof. Believing that glazing mullions would be inappropriate, Nossiter specified two Flushglaze fixed rooflights from Glazing Vision for the existing roof apertures. Measuring almost three-metres-square, the design of the bespoke units was approved by the planning authority before being precision-engineered at the company’s Norfolk factory.
The lack of internal frames ensures that the rooflights do not detract from the visually arresting timber roof structure. Bulky capping systems are eschewed externally, minimising the potential build-up of dirt. Tested and certified by the British Board of Agrément, the units also provide excellent thermal performance, structural integrity, and unparalleled weather resistance. Most importantly for Nossiter’s clients, the generously-sized Flushglaze rooflights allow high levels of daylight into the centre of the house, and provide expansive views of the Suffolk sky.
To find out more design considerations for your next project, contact Glazing Vision on 01379 658 300 or request a CPD.
