This conversion of a historic barn resulted in a residential building based on the house-within-a-house principle.
The existing barn, built at the end of the 19th century, was constructed with 60 cm thick walls made of fieldstone masonry.
One of the gable walls was demolished to open up views towards the garden and provide sufficient daylight. A new construction made of CLT was placed between the existing walls without having to extensively waterproof the masonry.
The new south facing gable is designed as an all-glass façade and maximises the connection between the interior and exterior. The façade is set back by approx. 1.50 metres to ensure sufficient protection from the sun and to protect the interior from prying eyes.
A workshop area located at the rear offers additional space in the open barn accessible via an internal bridge.
The living areas are organised around an inner core, which houses the building services on the ground floor and the bathroom on the upper floor. With the façade protected from view, all living and sleeping areas, but especially the bathroom, offer an impressive view of the landscape.

The original barn construction was gutted with only the stone walls remaining. Unfortunately all of the timber roof construction was damaged and had to be removed.
For the living areas a new, independent volume was placed inside the existing walls. This construction comprises CLT walls and floors, set on a reinforced concrete slab. Using a high degree of prefabrication, it was possible to erect the building in a short time during the summer, which was an advantage for building in a remote part of the country. The panels already included provisions for ducting and electrical wiring.
The glass façade is an aluminium curtain wall construction.
Heating is provided via heat pump and the house uses a well for tap water. The plant room is located in the centre of the house to minimise plumbing routes and keep heat in the core of the building envelope.
The bathroom on the first floor is stacked on the same core as the plat room.
The back of the building features a workshop for manufacturing cider and is connected to a downstairs cellar. This location features ideal conditions for the manufacturing process with its low consistent temperatures and the possibility to use gravity across two stories. The central gate can be accessed with a small tractor to deliver the fruits.
Skylights ensure sufficient daylight in the barn space and are planned with future expansions in mind.