Recalling the enclosed moorland farmsteads of the West Country, this single-storey courtyard house for a farm manager establishes a considered relationship with its surrounding rural landscape.Across the field from the house stands a recently constructed livestock shed, housing the cattle herd associated with the farm managers livelihood. Although, by necessity, the house is close to the neighbouring barn, its domesticity does not intrude into the agricultural setting. Instead, the house nestles into a wooded corner of the field, only a mile from the Atlantic coast. The building is protected from the elements through an introverted courtyard house typology, the two arms of its L-shape plan sheltering a south-facing garden.The protective wings of the house are formed by thick masonry walls, the depth of these a result of the specific construction system employed: monolithic clay blocks used without a cavity or insulation layer. At once load-bearing and insulating, the walls are simply finished with textured lime render to the exterior and lime plaster on the inside. This monolithic base supports a singular, unifying timber roof, legible throughout the interior, and redolent of surrounding older barn structures.Hugh Strange, director, Hugh Strange ArchitectsAdvertisementProject dataStart on site October 2020Completion Gross internal floor area 2Construction cost 400,000Construction cost per m2 2,285Architect Hugh Strange ArchitectsClient PrivateStructural engineer Price & MyersM&E consultant Ritchie + DaffinPrincipal designer Hugh Strange ArchitectsApproved building inspector Cornwall CouncilMain contractor GTL ConstructionTimber frame Timber WorkshopCAD software used VectorworksPredicted design life 100+ yearsEmbodied carbon (structure) 222 kgCO2e/m2Engineers choicesThe house is a modest, simple structure which attempts to reference the familiar clarity of rural building forms. At the same time, it uses modern materials and a level of quality in the resolution of the detailing, in the timber fabrication and in the material choices that elevates it to something special. Basic foundations and ground floor slab support thick terracotta Porotherm block walls to the perimeter. These are the only load-bearing walls and allow full flexibility of the internal layout.The roof is a system of tied rafters where a repetitive element is tied to form an A-frame every fourth rafter. The spread of the typical rafters between the ties is resisted by a flat wall plate timber, sized to span horizontally between the tied rafter feet but also to be large enough to span vertically as the window lintel. Taking this simple roof form around the corner of the 90-degree roof junction, with all the members and details exposed to view, required some careful detailing.Andy Toohey, partner, Price & MyersSpecificationThe preference for UK structural timber in the sizes required led quickly to the decision to use Douglas Fir a strong, durable and versatile timber, available in long lengths and large sections. We made an effort to find a sawmill willing to seek out slower-grown, older trees to ensure higher-quality stock evident in tighter growth rings and a lower knot content. Logs were sourced from both west Scotland and Norfolk.The frame was entirely prefabricated in our Devon workshop, then shipped, and installed on site. While predominately a process of manufacturing components in isolation, the principal truss that forms the corner of the building was framed up in its entirety in the workshop to overcome the more complex roof geometry in this location.AdvertisementThe timber was planed all round, and sanded clean after carpentry, but left unfinished. Canadian Douglas fir plywood doubles as structural sheathing and internal ceiling. Hot-dip galvanised bolts were left visible and unplugged but set into shallow counterbores to ensure some finesse when using these more agricultural-graded fixings. Similarly, galvanised brackets that connect the roof to the Porotherm blockwork appear above the wall plaster as a small reminder of how the house was put together.Alex Thomas, director, Timber WorkshopSelected productsGalvanised steel profiled roofingCladcoCladco Profiles (13/3)Roofcladco.co.ukClay blocksWienerbergerPorotherm, T8 425External Wallswienerberger.co.ukLime render/plasterHeritage Cob & LimeBespokeExternal renderheritagecobandlime.comFloor tilesLiving TerracottaBL012Flooring throughoutlivingterracotta.com