“A building within a building”: this is what Will Gamble Architects proposed to their clients who wanted to demolish the ruins of an old cattle shed to make way for a new home extension; and, granted permission, the clients were not disappointed by how the Parchment Works House came together. Between the crumbling masonry walls of the old shed and former parchment factory, two lightweight volumes were inserted. The exteriors feature a palette of steel, oak and brick: materials that celebrate the site’s history and rural context, and reclaimed on site as a cost-effective and sustainable measure.
The studio retained the existing structural beams and steelwork in the extension’s interiors, producing a harmonious blend between its historic roots and a modern intervention. “The stone walls were re-pointed and washed in lime to create a mottle effect and a concrete plinth was cast along the base to create a monolithic skirting,” they explained. This Gretton, UK-based project is a successful attempt of merging the old and the new, proving that comfort needn’t be sacrificed in preserving the past. More of the London architectural firm’s works here and on Instagram.
Photography © Johan Dehlin for Will Gamble Architects