Downland Barns / McLean Quinlan

Architects: McLean Quinlan
Area: 654 m²
Year: 2023
Photographs: Jim Stephenson
Lead Team: Alastair Bowden
General Constructing: Baufritz
Engineering & Consulting > Quantity Surveying: Baillie Knowles Partnership
Engineering & Consulting > Mechanical: En Masse Design, New Land Solutions
Engineering & Consulting > Lighting: Owl Lighting
Engineering & Consulting > Other: Rozen, The German Carpentry
Landscape Architecture: Landform Consultants
Engineering & Consulting > Environmental Sustainability: Sims Solar
City: Frensham
Country: United Kingdom

This timber-framed family home, designed in the countryside of the North Downs, merges modern sustainability with traditional English craft, creating a low-impact dwelling embedded within the hillside. The project consists of three interconnected structures enclosed by a flint wall, referencing local vernacular materials—flint, black timber, and clay tiles—while using offsite-manufactured, highly insulated timber panels sourced from certified forests. A green oak frame forms the central barn volume, with over 1,000 hand-crafted pegs used to express artisanal precision. Floor-to-ceiling glazing on the south elevation opens onto expansive landscape views. A secondary volume below houses bedrooms and additional living spaces. A 400-year-old timber barn was restored and integrated into the site using salvaged elements, including 600-year-old wood for floors and paneling. Designed for off-grid operation, the house incorporates Tesla Powerpack batteries, underfloor heating, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, and rainwater irrigation for a rewilded landscape. The material palette minimizes VOCs and plastic, reinforcing the project’s ecological and craft-based ethos.

This timber-framed family home is set into a hillside overlooking the North Downs and combines traditional building techniques with contemporary environmental design. The clients sought a sustainable and characterful residence, emphasizing craftsmanship and practical elegance. The timber frame includes over 1,000 handmade wooden pegs, emphasizing detail over uniformity.

The house comprises three interlinked volumes contained by a flint wall. The material choices reference the region’s vernacular architecture—flint, black-stained timber, pitched clay tile roofs—and create continuity with local building traditions. The primary structural elements were manufactured offsite using preassembled, high-performance timber panels sourced from sustainably managed forests. Interiors are finished with natural clay plaster to create a muted, calm atmosphere.

Timber remains central throughout the house. The main living space is a green oak-framed barn, which connects seamlessly to the kitchen and supporting rooms. This core volume is bathed in daylight filtered through the structural timber, highlighting the clay-finished surfaces. A full-height glazed wall on the southern side frames views and provides access to a terrace. A second volume, located half a level below the main floor, contains bedrooms, a gym, study, and additional living areas.

To the east, a 400-year-old timber barn was carefully disassembled, restored, and reconstructed. Replacement elements were sourced from salvaged barns of similar age, with some timber components estimated at 600 years old used for flooring and internal finishes. The house is designed to operate off-grid for short durations, with Tesla Powerpack batteries supporting energy storage. Underfloor heating, an MVHR system, LED lighting, and automation technologies are integrated into a highly insulated envelope. VOC emissions were eliminated and plastic minimized throughout. Outside, harvested rainwater irrigates the garden, and the fields and woodland below the house have been rewilded to enhance biodiversity.