{"id":25281,"date":"2025-11-26T14:38:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T14:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/?p=25281"},"modified":"2025-11-26T14:42:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T14:42:45","slug":"hartdene-barns-revisit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/renovate\/convert\/hartdene-barns-revisit\/","title":{"rendered":"Low-carbon luxe: Hartdene Barns revisit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A couple of years ago I wrote a story about some rather special homes being built on the site of a former dairy farm in Kent.<\/p>\n<p>Well, it\u2019s time for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/renovate\/convert\/hartdene-barns-is-a-dairy-farm-conversion-built-to-riba-climate-challenge-standards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">revisit to Hartdene Barns<\/a>, to see how the plans that promised so much turned out\u2026<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25246\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25246\" class=\"wp-image-25246 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/15-700x467.jpg\" alt=\"Barn homes shaped like Dutch barns\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/15-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/15-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/15-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/15-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/15-120x80.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/15-1200x801.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/15.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25246\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shapes of Dutch barns at Hartdene. Image credit: Gareth Gardner<\/p><\/div>\n<p>To recap, the disused dairy farm outside the village of Cowden in Kent, near the border with East Sussex, was in a sorry state when it was bought by brothers Damien and Michael Wynne.<\/p><div class=\"gdmag-content\" id=\"gdmag-2228096143\" data-cfpa=\"20295\" data-cfpw=\"20295\"><div class=\"gdmag-adlabel\">Advertisements<\/div><div class=\"GRVMpuWrapper mobile\"><div class=\"GRVAd inline mobile\" data-ad-type=\"primary-mpu\" data-ad-label=\"mpu\" data-ad-sizemapping=\"primary-mpu\" data-ad-sizes=\"[[300,250],[300,600],[320,480]]\" data-ad-refreshmapping=\"always\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">;new advadsCfpAd( 20295 );<\/script>\n<div id=\"attachment_25280\" style=\"width: 687px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25280\" class=\"wp-image-25280 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Damien-Michael-Wynne-700x804.jpg\" alt=\"The developers of Hartdene barns Damien and Michael Wynne\" width=\"677\" height=\"778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Damien-Michael-Wynne-700x804.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Damien-Michael-Wynne-250x287.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Damien-Michael-Wynne-768x882.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Damien-Michael-Wynne-1337x1536.jpg 1337w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Damien-Michael-Wynne-1783x2048.jpg 1783w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Damien-Michael-Wynne-120x138.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Damien-Michael-Wynne-1200x1378.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Damien-Michael-Wynne.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 677px) 100vw, 677px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25280\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The brothers behind the development: Damien and Michael Wynne. Image source: Camilla Ulloa<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The pair are experienced developers, with several up-market developments in south east London under their belts through their Q New Homes company, but this was a big project even for them.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25237\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25237\" class=\"wp-image-25237 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5-700x467.jpg\" alt=\"Barn homes with large windows\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5-120x80.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5-1200x801.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/5.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25237\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Large windows look out over the rolling Kent countryside. Image credit: Gareth Gardner<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Old dairy farm<\/h2>\n<p>The farm had been in the same family for several generations until the last farmer died in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Over the last years of the 93-year-old former owner\u2019s tenure, the place had fallen into a state of disrepair.<\/p>\n<p>When the brothers took the place on, it was a typical hotchpotch of agricultural buildings of different ages and different purposes: milking parlour, hay barn, cattle shed, dairy and so on.<\/p><div class=\"gdmag-content-2\" id=\"gdmag-3074658158\" data-cfpa=\"19928\" data-cfpw=\"19928\"><div class=\"gdmag-adlabel\">Advertisements<\/div><!-- code from Primis - granddesignsmagazine.com -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" language=\"javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/live.primis.tech\/live\/liveView.php?s=116493&schain=1.0,1!grv.media,65,1\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- code from Primis --><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">;new advadsCfpAd( 19928 );<\/script>\n<p>At that point, planning permission was already in place for a residential scheme that retained ten buildings (nine former agricultural buildings plus the farmhouse) while demolishing some of the smaller, peripheral structures.<\/p>\n<p>Getting rid of the lean-tos and secondary structures enabled the opening up of a central courtyard and views out towards the rolling Weald landscape beyond.<\/p>\n<p>But all the key farm buildings were retained, with the shape of the new dwellings dictated to a large extent by the existing agricultural structures.<\/p>\n<p>A key stipulation of the planning permission was that the new homes would retain the structural frames of the existing farm buildings, so that the houses would echo their previous forms.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25249\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25249\" class=\"wp-image-25249 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18-700x467.jpg\" alt=\"Closed up of barn cover in charred timber cladding\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18-120x80.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18-1200x801.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/18.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25249\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The charred spruce cladding is low maintenance and gives the barns their striking black appearance. Image credit: Gareth Gardner<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Architectural vision<\/h2>\n<p>At this stage, top architecture practice Nissen Richards Studio was appointed to refine the architectural vision, and Jim Richards and his team finessed the designs to great effect.<\/p><div class=\"gdmag-prop-primary-mpu\" id=\"gdmag-3280857962\" data-cfpa=\"20294\" data-cfpw=\"20294\"><div class=\"gdmag-adlabel\">Advertisements<\/div><div class=\"GRVMpuWrapper\"><div class=\"GRVAd inline\" data-ad-type=\"mpu\" data-ad-sizes=\"[[300,250]]\" data-ad-refreshmapping=\"always\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">;new advadsCfpAd( 20294 );<\/script>\n<p>They kept to the proposed building footprints, but created new internal layouts and radically altered the homes\u2019 external appearance to feature charred timber cladding and black zinc roofs, rather than the pale timber originally proposed.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25242\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25242\" class=\"wp-image-25242 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11-700x593.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"593\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11-700x593.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11-250x212.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11-768x651.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11-1536x1302.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11-120x102.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11-1200x1017.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25242\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Farms often look more industrial than bucolic, and Hartdene captures that fashionable industrial aesthetic. Image credit: Gareth Gardner<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The homes are a mix of three and four-bedroomed properties, with the largest five-bedroomed home measuring 6,500ft<sup>2<\/sup>, and the new designs give them a thoroughly contemporary appearance outside and in.<\/p>\n<p>An echo of the working farm that had developed ad hoc over decades is retained in the development\u2019s disparate architectural forms, but the rustic structures have been transformed into highly desirable luxury dwellings.<\/p>\n<p>The forms and silhouettes give the development a sense of place and a reminder of its past, but the modern incarnations are wonderful: striking, high spec, luxury eco homes.<\/p><div class=\"gdmag-prop-in-content-mpu\" id=\"gdmag-1169621522\" data-cfpa=\"20294\" data-cfpw=\"20294\"><div class=\"gdmag-adlabel\">Advertisements<\/div><div class=\"GRVMpuWrapper\"><div class=\"GRVAd inline\" data-ad-type=\"mpu\" data-ad-sizes=\"[[300,250]]\" data-ad-refreshmapping=\"always\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">;new advadsCfpAd( 20294 );<\/script>\n<div id=\"attachment_25250\" style=\"width: 529px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25250\" class=\"wp-image-25250 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/21-700x1049.jpg\" alt=\"Detail of timber ribbing detail\" width=\"519\" height=\"778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/21-700x1049.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/21-250x375.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/21-768x1151.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/21-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/21-120x180.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/21-1200x1799.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/21.jpg 1281w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 519px) 100vw, 519px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25250\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Subtle detailing in the timber and bricks brings texture and visual interest wherever you look. Image credit: Gareth Gardner<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Detailing<\/h2>\n<p>A variety of cladding patterns has been used across the site to highlight entrances and feature areas.<\/p>\n<p>The variations add tactility and break up the large-scale elevations.<\/p>\n<p>The family of patterns creates a unique design for each dwelling while also unifying the overall scheme.<\/p>\n<p>It includes ship-lapped vertical boarding with varying widths of boards and rectangular boards and alternating vertical fins with open joints.<\/p><div class=\"gdmag-prop-in-content-mpu-2\" id=\"gdmag-213517647\" data-cfpa=\"20294\" data-cfpw=\"20294\"><div class=\"gdmag-adlabel\">Advertisements<\/div><div class=\"GRVMpuWrapper\"><div class=\"GRVAd inline\" data-ad-type=\"mpu\" data-ad-sizes=\"[[300,250]]\" data-ad-refreshmapping=\"always\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">;new advadsCfpAd( 20294 );<\/script>\n<p>Large glazing has been used wherever there are large views \u2013 out over the beautiful Kent countryside &#8211; with smaller windows where the view is towards common areas.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25251\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25251\" class=\"wp-image-25251 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/23-700x467.jpg\" alt=\"One of the barns at Hartdene\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/23-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/23-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/23-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/23-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/23-120x80.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/23-1200x801.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/23.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25251\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The barns are all unique, reflecting the eclectic quality of the original farmstead. Image source: Gareth Gardner<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Sustainability<\/h2>\n<p>Sustainability lies at the heart of this project.<\/p>\n<p>The Barns have been designed to measure up to the challenging RIBA Climate Challenge 2030 standards.<\/p>\n<p>The Challenge is a voluntary framework created by the Royal Institute of British Architects to help architects design buildings that meet net-zero carbon goals.<\/p>\n<p>It sets tough performance targets for buildings in the following key areas: operational energy use, embodied carbon, potable water use, and health and wellbeing (daylight, air quality, overheating etc).<\/p><div class=\"gdmag-prop-in-content-mpu-3\" id=\"gdmag-1727856332\" data-cfpa=\"20294\" data-cfpw=\"20294\"><div class=\"gdmag-adlabel\">Advertisements<\/div><div class=\"GRVMpuWrapper\"><div class=\"GRVAd inline\" data-ad-type=\"mpu\" data-ad-sizes=\"[[300,250]]\" data-ad-refreshmapping=\"always\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">;new advadsCfpAd( 20294 );<\/script>\n<p>So, for example, the 2030 targets for homes \u2013 the targets the Barns have to meet \u2013 include for operational energy &lt;35kWh\/m\u00b2\/year; for embodied carbon &lt;625kg CO\u2082e\/m\u00b2; and for potable water &lt;75l \/person\/day.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25257\" style=\"width: 529px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25257\" class=\"wp-image-25257 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/33-700x1049.jpg\" alt=\"View through a window at Hartdene barns\" width=\"519\" height=\"778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/33-700x1049.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/33-250x375.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/33-768x1151.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/33-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/33-120x180.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/33-1200x1799.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/33.jpg 1281w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 519px) 100vw, 519px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25257\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Deep reveals reflect walls thick with insulation. Image credit:<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Jim Richards explains, \u201cThis was the practice\u2019s first ever project to adopt the standards and requirements of the RIBA Climate Challenge, which was an exciting opportunity, but also presented significant challenges we needed to overcome.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeeting the potable water use targets was definitely more challenging than anticipated.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;While we met the 2025 target of 105 litres through careful specification of appliances and fittings, we found the 2030 target of 75l was only achievable with rainwater harvesting and site-wide water recycling.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Future projects will need to incorporate these strategies to reduce potable water consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25241\" style=\"width: 594px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25241\" class=\"wp-image-25241 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/10-700x933.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"584\" height=\"778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/10-700x933.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/10-250x333.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/10-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/10-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/10-120x160.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/10-1200x1600.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/10.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25241\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inside you&#8217;ll find simple, clean lines and thoughtful, quality detailing. Image credit: Gareth Gardner<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The barns are kitted out with a host of green tech, including air source heat pumps, extensive insulation, MVHR systems and electric car charging points.<\/p><div class=\"gdmag-prop-in-content-mpu-4\" id=\"gdmag-3504868918\" data-cfpa=\"20294\" data-cfpw=\"20294\"><div class=\"gdmag-adlabel\">Advertisements<\/div><div class=\"GRVMpuWrapper\"><div class=\"GRVAd inline\" data-ad-type=\"mpu\" data-ad-sizes=\"[[300,250]]\" data-ad-refreshmapping=\"always\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">;new advadsCfpAd( 20294 );<\/script>\n<p>These are fully electric homes, powered by solar photovoltaics (PV).<\/p>\n<p>High-output black Jinko 440W PV panels blend into the black zinc roofs, while Sigenergy battery systems let residents store and manage their own clean electricity.<\/p>\n<p>The barns were constructed according to fabric-first principles that involved airtight construction, deep insulation and the elimination of cold bridges.<\/p>\n<p>The walls are built using well insulated structural insulated panels (SIPs) that embody much less carbon than traditional masonry walls.<\/p>\n<p>Those bricks that were used on the scheme \u2013 Michelmersh Selected Dark stock \u2013 were manufactured just 12 miles down the road using traditional methods.<\/p>\n<p>All the properties at Hartdene have a SAP (standard assessment procedure \u2013 the testing methodology used to calculate energy performance certificate (EPC) ratings) score of over 100.<\/p>\n<p>That means they should generate at least as much energy as they use: which means ultra-low energy bills.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25252\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25252\" class=\"wp-image-25252 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/27-700x642.jpg\" alt=\"Interior of barn with bioethanol fireplace \" width=\"700\" height=\"642\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/27-700x642.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/27-250x229.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/27-768x704.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/27-1536x1408.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/27-120x110.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/27-1200x1100.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/27.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25252\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The barns each feature a bioethanol fireplace. Image credit: Gareth Gardner<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Interior design<\/h2>\n<p>In contrast to the dark exteriors, the property interiors are light, bright and filled with natural tones.<\/p>\n<p>Full-height, glazed Crittall-style doors create a connection between the primary living spaces and entrance hall.<\/p>\n<p>Interior design at the Barns show home was done by Jo Brown of Tile House Studio, who was nominated for two British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) awards for her work at Hartdene.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25279\" style=\"width: 529px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25279\" class=\"wp-image-25279 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Barn-9-dining-with-bioethanol-fireplace-700x1050.jpg\" alt=\"Living room at Hertdene barns\" width=\"519\" height=\"778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Barn-9-dining-with-bioethanol-fireplace-700x1050.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Barn-9-dining-with-bioethanol-fireplace-250x375.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Barn-9-dining-with-bioethanol-fireplace-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Barn-9-dining-with-bioethanol-fireplace-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Barn-9-dining-with-bioethanol-fireplace-120x180.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Barn-9-dining-with-bioethanol-fireplace.jpg 1075w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 519px) 100vw, 519px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25279\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Interior design reflects the environmental values embodied in the build. Image credit: Camilla Ulloa<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Local artisans<\/h2>\n<p>Jo has used a palette of natural neutrals and emphasised sustainable and reused materials, such as the tables she commissioned from designers Tomas and Jani, which are covered in the unique material Kava that the duo has developed made from coffee grounds.<\/p>\n<p>Another local craftsperson, potter Forest Tozer of Together by Nature, has handmade bespoke ceramics for Hartdene using clay from the site and decorated with plants gathered there.<\/p>\n<p>Sustainability underpins every aspect of the decor.<\/p>\n<p>Engineered oak floors don\u2019t just offer natural beauty, they can be sanded and refinished multiple times.<\/p>\n<p>Carpet was consciously excluded, on the other hand, because, during the project\u2019s whole-life carbon assessment, carpets were identified as unsustainable because they typically need to be replaced up to six times over the life of a home.<\/p>\n<p>Another thing you won\u2019t find in the barns is skirting boards, instead there are clean, minimalist lines with shadow-gap detailing.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25282\" style=\"width: 529px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25282\" class=\"wp-image-25282 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WW2-crater-reimagined-as-wellbeing-area-and-repurposed-as-Hartdene-attenuation-tank-700x1050.jpg\" alt=\"pond with boat on it\" width=\"519\" height=\"778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WW2-crater-reimagined-as-wellbeing-area-and-repurposed-as-Hartdene-attenuation-tank-700x1050.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WW2-crater-reimagined-as-wellbeing-area-and-repurposed-as-Hartdene-attenuation-tank-250x375.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WW2-crater-reimagined-as-wellbeing-area-and-repurposed-as-Hartdene-attenuation-tank-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WW2-crater-reimagined-as-wellbeing-area-and-repurposed-as-Hartdene-attenuation-tank-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WW2-crater-reimagined-as-wellbeing-area-and-repurposed-as-Hartdene-attenuation-tank-120x180.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WW2-crater-reimagined-as-wellbeing-area-and-repurposed-as-Hartdene-attenuation-tank-1200x1800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WW2-crater-reimagined-as-wellbeing-area-and-repurposed-as-Hartdene-attenuation-tank.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 519px) 100vw, 519px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25282\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Barns pond began life as a bomb crater. Image credit: Camilla Ulloa<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Pond<\/h2>\n<p>The Barns sit within 37 acres of land. Gardens are sown with wild grass mix.<\/p>\n<p>A pond on the site is now a tranquil haven for wildlife, but it began life in dramatic fashion as a bomb crater, created when a German bomber returning home after a bombing raid on the capital in World War II jettisoned an unused bomb into the Kent countryside to lighten its load on the way home.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25278\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25278\" class=\"wp-image-25278 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Allotment-Bespoke-potting-sheds-made-from-off-cuts-from-barns-700x467.jpg\" alt=\"Potting shed with wheelbarrow\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Allotment-Bespoke-potting-sheds-made-from-off-cuts-from-barns-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Allotment-Bespoke-potting-sheds-made-from-off-cuts-from-barns-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Allotment-Bespoke-potting-sheds-made-from-off-cuts-from-barns-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Allotment-Bespoke-potting-sheds-made-from-off-cuts-from-barns-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Allotment-Bespoke-potting-sheds-made-from-off-cuts-from-barns-120x80.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Allotment-Bespoke-potting-sheds-made-from-off-cuts-from-barns-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Allotment-Bespoke-potting-sheds-made-from-off-cuts-from-barns.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25278\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Each home comes with an allotment featuring its own stylish potting shed. Image credit: Camilla Ulloa<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Private allotments<\/h2>\n<p>Beyond the newly landscaped pond is a unique feature of the scheme: private luxury allotments.<\/p>\n<p>Each house has an allocated organic veg plot, currently tended by experts from Roots Allotments.<\/p>\n<p>Future homeowners can choose whether they want to get involved with the growing, or simply want to receive the fresh produce grown on their patch.<\/p>\n<p>Surrounded by a newly planted orchard, the allotments each have their own cute little potting shed.<\/p>\n<p>The sheds are made from offcuts of the charred timber cladding used on the houses \u2013 making sure none went to waste.<\/p>\n<p>The oversized shed roofs harvest rainwater for watering and shelter integrated bench seats that look out over the raised allotment beds to the valley beyond.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25256\" style=\"width: 594px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25256\" class=\"wp-image-25256 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/32-700x933.jpg\" alt=\"Large window looking our over trees\" width=\"584\" height=\"778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/32-700x933.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/32-250x333.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/32-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/32-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/32-120x160.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/32-1200x1600.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/32.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25256\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Despite being so rural, the barns are well connected to the capital. Image credit: Gareth Gardner<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty<\/h2>\n<p>The development sits in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the picturesque landscape surrounding it is typical Wealden country, gently rolling hills with lots of woods.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the rural location, the Barns are well connected. Cowden Station is just three minutes\u2019 drive away, with regular trains into London.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not surprising then that some of the barns have already been sold.<\/p>\n<p>The rest are just on the market.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25245\" style=\"width: 529px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25245\" class=\"wp-image-25245 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/14-700x1049.jpg\" alt=\"Two dutch barn homes\" width=\"519\" height=\"778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/14-700x1049.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/14-250x375.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/14-768x1151.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/14-1025x1536.jpg 1025w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/14-120x180.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/14-1200x1799.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/14.jpg 1281w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 519px) 100vw, 519px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25245\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Barns are a deeply satisfying mix of old and new. Image credit: Gareth Gardner<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Last word<\/h2>\n<p>Thanks to impeccable detailing, the finished homes are even more striking than I imagined they would be when I first saw the renders and drawings two years ago.<\/p>\n<p>The sharp, black silhouettes express the essence of the old farm, but these sophisticated properties are more than a cut above the average barn conversion \u2013 built to the highest aesthetic and environmental standards.<\/p>\n<p>Jim Richards puts it well: \u201cWorking with distinctive forms and silhouettes, and meeting challenging sustainability targets, while providing generous and inspiring internal spaces that capture views of the surrounding landscape has been a delicate high-wire act, but the final buildings are all we hoped for.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They have a sense of place and a notable link to the past, but the modern incarnations of these former agricultural buildings are also built to the highest specification to provide buyers with luxury, low-carbon homes.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25234\" style=\"width: 710px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25234\" class=\"wp-image-25234 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-700x467.jpg\" alt=\"A barn lit up at dusk\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-700x467.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-120x80.jpg 120w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1-1200x801.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25234\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The finished Barns look even better than the computer renders suggested they would. Image credit: Gareth Gardner<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A couple of years ago I wrote a story about some rather special homes being built on the site of a former dairy farm in Kent. Well, it\u2019s time for a revisit to Hartdene Barns, to see how the plans that promised so much turned out\u2026 To recap, the disused dairy farm outside the village&#8230; <a class=\"view-article\" href=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/renovate\/convert\/hartdene-barns-revisit\/\">View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"author":10663,"featured_media":25239,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[464],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-convert"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.3 (Yoast SEO v26.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Low-carbon luxe: Hartdene Barns revisit - Grand Designs Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A unique cluster of ultra modern homes nestled in the Kent Weald shows the art of the barn conversion at its best \u2013 and most sustainable\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/renovate\/convert\/hartdene-barns-revisit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Low-carbon luxe: Hartdene Barns revisit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A unique cluster of ultra modern homes nestled in the Kent Weald shows the art of the barn conversion at its best \u2013 and most sustainable\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/renovate\/convert\/hartdene-barns-revisit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Grand Designs Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GrandDesigns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-26T14:38:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-26T14:42:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/8.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1281\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mary Richards\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@granddesigns\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@granddesigns\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mary Richards\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/renovate\/convert\/hartdene-barns-revisit\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.granddesignsmagazine.com\/renovate\/convert\/hartdene-barns-revisit\/\",\"name\":\"Low-carbon luxe: Hartdene Barns revisit - 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