A sustainable extension transforms BakerBrown’s converted forge
BakerBrown Architects crafts a sustainable extension for a converted forge project in southern England

Ivan Jones - Photography
BakerBrown Architects has an award-winning reputation for sustainable architecture, pioneering ways of reducing a building’s footprint through meticulous design, careful use of resources, and thoroughly practical and attainable methods like insulation and the use of local materials and trades. In a similar vein, its latest work is a sustainable extension that makes the most of a unique site that brings together past, present and future.
The practice’s most recent project is a conversion of a long, low, gabled dwelling house in the south of England.
The original structure was once the village forge, making all manner of metal goods for local farmers and businesses. It was subsequently converted into a house and the surrounding neighbourhood upgraded to a Conservation Area.
The clients approached BakerBrown with the intention of creating a better relationship between the house and its garden, set at 90 degrees to the original structure.
The architects also had to upgrade the original masonry building. Built in the era between insulation and proper damp-proofing, it was becoming uneconomical to run.
The primary change is the creation of an extension that reaches out into the walled garden, transforming what was a modest sunroom into a large open-plan kitchen and dining room. A new red zinc pitched roof oversails the extension, providing solar shading for the glazing.
The main building has been overclad to radically improve its ability to retain heat in the winter and cool air in the summer.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Outside, a new rainscreen has been made from locally sourced sweet chestnut, adding to the increased thermal performance of the building.
The original boiler was replaced with a heat pump; despite increasing the floor area by around 40 per cent, the combination of more efficient heat generation and better insulation has reduced the property’s energy consumption.
All the design details are carefully considered with energy-saving in mind. The polished concrete floor slab in the extension acts as a heat sink, drawing in warmth from the glazing in winter. Sustainable birch plywood is used for the kitchen, ceilings, and joinery, lightly oiled to reflect light, while traditional vernacular elements like the original flint wall are retained and exposed.
Set up by Duncan Baker-Brown in 1994, the studio is based in East Sussex, and frequently works with vernacular forms, existing buildings, and conversions. Past projects include The Waste House – made, as the name suggests, from waste materials; and The House That Kevin Built, prefabricated using 90 per cent bio-based materials and the UK’s first EPC A* rated home. In 2017, BakerBrown authored The Re-Use Atlas: A designer’s guide to the circular economy, a pioneering book looking at how architects can make better use of limited resources.
INFORMATION
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.
-
Piaget’s new Sixtie watches recall a glamorous history at Watches and Wonders 2025
Piaget draws on historical codes with the trapeze-shaped Sixtie watch collection, revealed at Watches and Wonders 2025
By Hannah Silver Published
-
A contemporary Swiss chalet combines tradition and modernity, all with a breathtaking view
A modern take on the classic chalet in Switzerland, designed by Montalba Architects, mixes local craft with classic midcentury pieces in a refined design inside and out
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Cartier dials up the glamour at Watches and Wonders 2025
Cartier revamps much-loved watch collections, from Privé and Panthère to Tank and Tressage, upping the sparkle at the watch fair in Geneva
By Thor Svaboe Published
-
Are Derwent London's new lounges the future of workspace?
Property developer Derwent London’s new lounges – created for tenants of its offices – work harder to promote community and connection for their users
By Emily Wright Published
-
Showing off its gargoyles and curves, The Gradel Quadrangles opens in Oxford
The Gradel Quadrangles, designed by David Kohn Architects, brings a touch of playfulness to Oxford through a modern interpretation of historical architecture
By Shawn Adams Published
-
A Norfolk bungalow has been transformed through a deft sculptural remodelling
North Sea East Wood is the radical overhaul of a Norfolk bungalow, designed to open up the property to sea and garden views
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A new concrete extension opens up this Stoke Newington house to its garden
Architects Bindloss Dawes' concrete extension has brought a considered material palette to this elegant Victorian family house
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A former garage is transformed into a compact but multifunctional space
A multifunctional, compact house by Francesco Pierazzi is created through a unique spatial arrangement in the heart of the Surrey countryside
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A 1960s North London townhouse deftly makes the transition to the 21st Century
Thanks to a sensitive redesign by Studio Hagen Hall, this midcentury gem in Hampstead is now a sustainable powerhouse.
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Manchester United and Foster + Partners to build a new stadium: ‘Arguably the largest public space in the world’
The football club will spend £2 billion on the ambitious project, which co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has described as the ‘world's greatest football stadium’
By Anna Solomon Published
-
'Bold and unapologetic', this contemporary Wimbledon home replaces a 1970s house on site
This grey-brick Wimbledon home by McLaren Excell is a pairing of brick and concrete, designed to be mysterious
By Tianna Williams Published