When converting an old building into something else, the whole idea is to change most of its design and structure so that it suits the needs of its new users. That usually means a whole new look for the building. Nevertheless, in most cases the charm of the old building is preserved. Take this old barn for example. Although it’s now a contemporary home, it has a few elements that give away its history. One of them is, of course, the façade.
The barn was converted into a modern home by Maxwan Architects. It’s located in Geldermalsen, The Netherlands and it sits on a 2 ha site near the Linge river. The new owners of the place bought the old barn planning to convert it into their dream home.
They have an image of how it should look like. They wanted a large living area with kitchen where they could relax as well as entertain their friends and organize wine tasting sessions for their customers.
The original barn had already been extended at one point. As a result, it became a two-level structure. The initial layout of the barn was very difficult to work with. The façade openings were very small and not placed in the most suitable areas. The architects came up with a solution. They inverted the layout of the house and moved the office areas and storage spaces into the extension. The private spaces remained in the initial barn.{images by Filip Dujardin}.
