Architecture Archive

The new Architecture Archive, designed by Hugh Strange Architects, is a building that, through an evident economy of means, sits unpretentiously in its farmyard environment, while providing generous and luxurious interiors.

Located within the context of a working Somerset farmyard the new Architecture Archive sits at the foot of an agricultural valley within a mix of buildings that includes barns, wood stores and sheds that date from the 19th Century, through the 1970’s, to a recently completed cowshed.

The dilapidated walls and roof of an old stone and brick barn have been removed and the remaining walls carefully stabilized and repaired. Within these, two timber structures have been inserted, with a single new roof extending the full length of the building to provide a covered entrance. Identical in volume, the two timber volumes are subtly differentiated through their fenestration and fit-out.

The North building provides an office space and is characterised by large French windows that offer views to the wooded valley outside. In contrast the South building houses a drawing archive and display space and is predominantly top lit by a generous roof light. To the rear of the building a modest external space is enclosed by the retaining wall to the sloping side of the valley, with a generous external stair giving access up to the surrounding woodlands.

Hugh Strane Architects, Architecture Archive, Somerset, England

The new building shell is constructed of a single layer of solid cross-laminated timber without insulation, external wall cladding or internal lining. The wood panels provide insulation and thermal mass, creating stability of temperature and relative humidity for the drawing’s storage. Sitting on a rough in-situ cast concrete base the simple timber forms are protected by a profiled cement roof similar to those of the surrounding barns. The vented space between this and the timber cladding prevents overheating during hot summer months.

The project mixes simple construction techniques, pre-fabrication and cheap industrial materials with high-quality locally sourced hardwood to create a building that, through an evident economy of means, sits unpretentiously in its farmyard environment, while providing generous and luxurious interiors.