Page 99 - AIT0725_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Gianni Botsford Architects, GB-London
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Groundfloor plan
Schnitt • Section
Bauherr • Client Joseph Kohlmaier
Standort • Location Isle of Wight
Nutzfläche • Floor space 166 m 2
Fotos • Photos Schnepp Renou, James Eagle (außen)
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 134
THE 0LD BYRE
ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT
Between old buildings, new construction and renovation:
Somerton Farm is on the Isle of Wight in Great Britain,
between pastures, a harbour town and light industry. For
centuries, the farm was agriculturally used – in 2023, two
buildings used for livestock breeding were converted into
a place for living and creative work. A concept by Gianni
Botsford Architects from London.
J oseph Kohlmaier lives and works at the Metropolitan University in
London. He bought both buildings, now known as The Old Byre, to
create a home and creative space for himself and his guests. The client,
himself an artist and university lecturer, deliberately pushed for a high
degree of creative openness in the design process – but the unconven-
tional solutions only reveal themselves at second glance. A long road
separates light industry from Somerton Farm. Upon arrival, an ensemble
of historic and repurposed buildings presents itself. Some have been
renovated, others remain in their original state. The insulating corrugated
fibre-cement panels of the façade are reminiscent of agricultural use and
do not allow a view of the interior. Only the passageway between the buil-
dings allows a glimpse into a sheltered courtyard. The range of colours
and materials is limited to light tones and a translucent polycarbonate
façade punctuated by large glazed aluminium doors as separate entran-
ces. There is also is a height-compensating concrete base that extends all
the way into the interior. A structural connection has been deliberately
avoided, thus creating social interaction spaces as thresholds between
private and communal areas. The former cowsheds have been given dif-
ferent functions: The smaller structure houses the living- and dining area,
while the L-shaped volume offers sufficient space for bedrooms and wor-
krooms. Designed as a house-in-house system in timber-frame construc-
tion with spruce plywood, the building is divided into bedrooms, which
are arranged in uniform cubicles on the inner sides, and studio rooms. In
order to preserve the character of the site, efforts were made to retain the
existing building fabric and, in particular, the supporting structure – classic
brickwork and an open wooden roof construction. The successful result
is evident in the combination of contemporary influences, supplemented
where necessary by structural interventions, and an authentic material
language from the past. The further archetypes that animate the design
are the piazza, the archive and the demand of the environment and other
features. A project by Gianni Botsford Architects that opens up new per-
spectives in the existing context.
AIT 7/8.2025 • 099