Balancing Barn / MVRDV and Mole Architects
Our friends from MVRDV sent us their latest project with Living Architecture, the Balancing Barn, a cantilevered holiday home near the village of Thorington in Suffolk, England. Living Architecture, a British organization devoted to architecture as experience, has commissioned a series of outstanding holiday homes in the UK. MVRDV and co-architect Mole Architects from Cambridge will create a house sympathetic in spirit and materials to the exceptional natural site, which will be available for holiday rental from 2010.
More images and architect’s description, after the break.
The MVRDV project will be built on a beautiful site by a small lake in the English countryside near Thorington in Suffolk. From the road, the barn will be almost invisible; the front being only 7 metres wide, with a pitched roof, faces the long straight driveway approach, suggesting a small house with a traditional shape. The volume, however, has a length of 30 metres. At the midpoint it starts to cantilever over the descending slope; a balancing act made possible by the rigid structure of the building; resulting in 50% of the barn being in free space, and giving a wide view over the Suffolk landscape, adjacent lake and surrounding gardens. The long sides of the structure are well hidden by trees allowing privacy inside and around the barn. The exterior will be covered in a reflective material, resulting in the barn changing its exterior by reflecting the seasons.
Within the interior and closest to the driveway, is a kitchen, and large dining room. A series of four double bedrooms follows, each with separate bathroom and toilet. In the very centre of the barn, the bedroom sequence is interrupted by a hidden staircase providing access to the garden beneath. In the far, cantilevered end of the barn, a large living space is created. Throughout all the rooms, full height sliding windows, roof lights and a glass floor, give wonderful views and access into the garden and surrounding landscape, and give the visitors the opportunity to connect with nature.
The barn responds through its architecture and engineering to the site condition and natural setting. The traditional barn shape and reflective metal sheeting take their references from the local building vernacular. Completion is planned in Spring 2010, when the house will be open for letting.
Living Architecture has commissioned other houses by Peter Zumthor, Jarmund and Vigsnæs Architects, NORD and Hopkins Architects.
Hey, what’s with the bathtub inside the bedroom?
Dolphin bedroom.
bathrooms are screened off with sliding doors within the walls
Love it. Simple, practical, light spaces.
It would be great to see renders of the interior spaces, and some of the exterior detailing. Is it clad in zinc?
makes for a delightfully beautiful barn holiday. I think I am moving from california.
Love to see the swing in action under the cantilever.
The British planning process is mystical – likely the true purpose of Stonehenge is to explain to the initiated how and why structures like this are approved.
The only place that this building would honestly pay homage to its vernacular is in a trailer park. Curiously, that is exactly what this looks like, a double-wide mobile home perched over the edge of cliff – kinda like the van in the last scene of “the Italian Job”, or the General Lee from the “Dukes of Hazzard”.
Why is this supported by toothpicks? Why does it need to hang off the side of this slope? Has anyone ever seen a barn? Has anyone ever seen a double wide mobile home? Where do you keep the tires? This project asks many more questions than it answers.
Terry Glenn Phipps
these mvrdv guys are always very smart. it’s a really beautiful house and the spaces are large and well proportioned, although its surface is just 180 sqm.
the relation between the slope and the horizontal ground floor was used early in their career at the RVU building in Hilversum.
Now the concept is even more beautiful, due to the reflecting surface of the floor.
However, I would have made the cladding out of brick, to further emphasize the tectonic tension.
I also have a few complaints: the bathrooms aren’t naturally ventilated, the transparent ‘carpet’ in the living room seems a futile gadget, but most of all I am concerned about the structural brakes that would spoil the picture windows. I would really like to see the detailed structure of this house.
All in all, a beautiful project (unlike those for Houston, which were quite uninhabitable).
@Terry Glenn Phipps.
if you just took the time and read some about the project before you start with your critic comment you would understand that the “thoothpicks” that supports the house is a swing. the house structure is holding it up over the slope.
@ Terry Glenn Phipps.
Many farmers’ homes have been built in a hillside with livestock spaces under the human spaces so that the livestock’s body heat warms the humans’ living spaces above. Particularly in Switzerland. Essentially, MVRDV has removed the cladding that would shelter livestock from the elements and made the space recreational. The design is not too far a stretch from such vernacular.
Looks good!
MVRDV does great cantilevers but not convincing when the truss diagonals cuts across the windows and opening. I am beginning to suspect Arch Daily have been posting “tests” – whether you know your “stuff”. You think? The glass floor bit is kinda pervy me think; bordering on upskirt material. Com’on Arch Daily, play fair.
Its not a real cantilever. Two skinny columns are hidden in the fake swing set. The little girl doesn’t swing back and forth in real life…
“Its not a real cantilever. Two skinny columns are hidden in the fake swing set. The little girl doesn’t swing back and forth in real life…”
Jon, are you being funny or are being “funny”? I can’t tell.
how long the cantilever???
House in Gerês / Graça Correia y Roberto Ragazzi
1:04 PM May 8th
http://bit.ly/CdmS6
BALANCING BARN, novo do MVRDV
2:13 PM May 8th
Balancing Barn / MVRDV and Mole Architects – #design – http://tr.im/kR4p
11:00 PM Feb 15th
@martindonato Más info http://www.archdaily.com/21611/balancing-barn-mvrdv-and-mole-architects/
11:04 PM Feb 15th
@Elreta Qué te parecen http://bit.ly/bstSoB http://bit.ly/bm5ps6 http://bit.ly/XXCaE?