Bindloss Dawes Architects’ Autobarn houses a collection of Porsches
The Autobarn by Bindloss Dawes Architects provides serene space to store and service a clutch of classic Porsches
Bindloss Dawes’ ‘Autobarn’ states its function pretty clearly, but the ‘loose-fit’ steel and timber structure is intended to be ultra-flexible from the outset.
Autobarn: a home for cars
The site is in the grounds of a Grade II-listed 18th-century house in southern England, and the brief called for a home for the client’s classic car collection, a structure that went above and beyond a conventional garage and became something more akin to a gallery, albeit a place where work could still be undertaken.
The 165 sq m project is split into two components, set at right angles to each other. Pitched roofs acknowledge the existing house and the local vernacular, but the façade treatment is very different. The five-bay garage adjoins the two-car workshop space, complete with car lift, storage for tools and parts, and a utility area.
All the spaces are top lit, with a precisely detailed steel frame emphasising the pitch and coming together beneath the apex. Access is via large sliding doors, all the way to a 7m, three-bay timber screen on the garage structure, which is joined by a sliding glass door for added security.
The client’s passion is classic Porsches, with several generations of the iconic 911 represented, alongside a 1970s-era 914. ‘Our aim was to create a building that appeared elegant and familiar at first glance, but then opened up to reveal something surprising and unexpected,’ says architect Oliver Bindloss. ‘Using the barn typology helped us to achieve this, creating simple timber forms that you might expect to find throughout the countryside, but then introducing some theatre with the big sliding doors, opening up the building to reveal the car collection inside.’
The barn analogy is furthered by the use of straightforward, quasi-agricultural materials like concrete and recycled wood strand board, as well as a zinc roof. The sweet-chestnut cladding and meticulous interior joinery reflect the timeless details of the cars themselves.
The adaptability of the structure is guided by futureproof design elements, like the underfloor heating and air source heat pump that could be switched on if needed, with additional services concealed within the panelling, should the Autobarn’s future use change.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Bindloss and George Dawes founded their Somerset-based studio in 2018, following working together at Jamie Fobert Architects. The client describes the Autobarn project as a ‘close collaboration’ with architects, a way of realising a ‘long-term dream to bring my car collection together under one roof, and to start all the restoration projects I’ve been planning’.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
John Lobb’s new derby shoe takes a walk on the wild side, inspired by the 1980s British rock scene
British heritage shoemaker John Lobb presents the Smith, a creeper-style take on the derby silhouette inspired by the rock and ska movements of the 1980s
By Tianna Williams Published
-
MM6 Maison Margiela and Timex re-engineer the iconic T80 digital watch
The MM6 Maison Margiela x TIMEX collection rethinks how time can be worn
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
Doc'n Roll Film Festival makes its loud return to the UK
The 11th edition of the Doc'n Roll Film Festival celebrates music, culture and cinema from around the world
By Smilian Cibic Published
-
Paddington Square transforms its patch of central London with its 'elevated cube'
Paddington Square by Renzo Piano Building Workshop has been completed, elevating a busy London site through sustainability, modern workspace and a plaza
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Architectural car parks to drive into, in the UK and beyond
Architectural car parks form an important part of urban infrastructure but can provide a design statement too; here are some of the finest examples to peruse, in the UK and beyond
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Architectural Association's newest show uncovers the architectural legacies of rural China's lost generation
The Architectural Association’s ‘Ripple Ripple Rippling’ is not your typical architecture show, taking an anthropological look at the flux between rural and urban, and bringing a part of China to Bedford Square in London
By Teshome Douglas-Campbell Published
-
Into the groove: Henriksen House is the UK’s first home extension featuring exposed clay block walls
Architect Michael Henriksen uses textured clay blocks, cork flooring and self-built joinery to transform his family home in St Albans near London
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
This unassuming London house is a radical rethinking of the suburban home
Station Lodge by architect Andrei Saltykov in South West London offers a radical subversion to regional residential architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Join our tour of London Zoo, its modernist architecture and more
London Zoo is a well-established magnet for younger visitors, but there's plenty for the architecture enthusiast to admire too; our tour explores its modernist treasures for guests of all ages
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Elemental House adds a Danish twist to a 1970s London house
Archmongers' Elemental House transforms a 1970s terraced house in London's Hackney into a functional, light-filled, Scandinavian-inspired family home
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
East London's disused gasholders are being reinvented
Regent's View by RSHP reinvents a pair of disused gasholders in east London as contemporary residential space and a publically accessible park
By Ellie Stathaki Published