A sense of historical permanence is always attached to an ancient material like brick…Even more so when an extensive remodeling of a two century old brick house is in need to be done! That’s Old Bearhurst. A converted nineteenth century farm building once used for drying hops is now enriched by a wooden extension to accommodate a client’s growing family.
Positioned in the middle of the agricultural fields of East Sussex, the restored buildings of Old Bearhurst include the brickwork house, with its two exquisite circular towers and pointed cowls, and also a timber-clad barn.
A single-story extension was developed to strap these two structures together attending to a slight floor variation below ground level to prevent the new roof from rising above the eaves of the circular towers. This sensible decision contributes to a discrete integration between different architectures and eras…from tectonics aspects to formal shapes and volumes.
Green oak clad the exterior of the new block which accommodates a kitchen, a living room and a playroom. Only the original buildings have a first floor, where bedrooms and bathrooms are positioned at opposite ends of the house.
A contemporary approach to a rural aesthetics is present in a bunch of details such as concrete floors at the ground floor level, contrasting with the timber lines that cover pavements and surfaces of the rooms located upstairs. And ancient brick… carefully preserved as a testimony of how past, present and future can be gathered in a single hybrid architecture.
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