The Coach House
Overview
Acquired by Hayward Smart Architects in December 2010, The Coach House in Shipston-on-Stour underwent extensive refurbishment and extension in order to provide an office for the practice at first floor with the ground floor let out for retail use.
A 2-storey extension was constructed to maximise the useable floor area on the restricted site, adjoining a listed building.
Traditional building forms and materials were used in a more modern composition to create an interesting extension that sits in unity with the original Coach House whilst standing out as a bold new addition.
Background
The Coach House had stood empty for some time before Hayward Smart Architects purchased the building. It had previously been used for a Hair and Beauty Treatment business. The main space at Ground Floor was open plan with a central staircase. Beyond this were stores and service rooms. The First Floor accommodated a series of celluar treatment rooms and further stores.
The Brief
Hayward Smart Architects looked to maximise the useable floor area at both floor levels, providing a retail unit at Ground Floor with associated office and stores, whilst at First Floor for themselves an open plan office area, meeting room, store, kitchen and toilet facilities. Extending the building from the existing gable allowed for providing the required accommodation.
The Design
The form of the 2-storey extension follows the traditional pitch of the existing building, although this is broken down into an asymmetrical composition. The dominant first floor element clad in vertical timber weatherboarding floats over the transparent ground floor shop front. The solid rendered block forming the entrance lobby to the office buttresses both the ground and first floor elements.
Using a palette of traditional materials, the architectural language is simple and restrained with rigorous detailing which results in a sympathetic yet dynamic solution to extending the property. Inserting a series of rooflights into both the new and existing structure ensures high levels of natural light in their own office.
