• Client: Javelin Block
• Architect: BPN Architects
• Photography: Paul Miller
• Completion: 2023
• Value: Confidential
• Size: 1,000 m²
• Expertise: Structures, Building Services, Civils

High Havens is a regeneration project breathing new life into a derelict farm covering over 100 acres of land in the Cotswolds. The design delivers a new barn and residential farm house, as well as the planting of over a thousand trees, dredging and replenishing of two lakes, planting of a wildflower meadow to increase biodiversity, as well as the renovation of a natural spring on site to supply clean water to the development. The centre piece is the new farm house which provides living accommodation and exhibition space.  

The client set out a strict requirement to provide a low energy building which is visually seamless, pushes the boundaries of design and showcases what can be achieved through innovative engineering and collaboration with architecture.

The approximately 1,000m² single storey building contains living accommodation arranged in a horse shoe shape around a central courtyard with large, thoughtfully placed glazed areas maximising the stunning views of the Oxfordshire countryside whilst minimising solar gain through advantageous building orientation supplemented with canopies.

The key element of the building structure is the timber and concrete composite roof. Due to the large floor plan over a single storey, the design of this single horizontal suspended element was key to achieving a holistic solution. The roof consists of Baubuche LVL roof beams acting compositely with 75mm thick precast concrete planks. The composite action between the timber and concrete via vertical connectors improves the efficiency of the system minimising material use. The end result is an efficient low carbon roof structure. 

For visual continuity, the same timber section size is used throughout the building. Where the span increased beyond the capacity of this section, a hybrid truss was designed for spans up to 12m. To complete the structure, and create a striking entrance fitting of this building, a daring cantilever canopy was designed in the same visual concrete. 

The building is characterised by a highly coordinated and thoughtfully detailed exposed structure throughout, made possible with a combination of design from first principles and digital technology, to modelling and the communication of information from drawing board to site.

Webb Yates Engineers provided structural, civil and building services engineering. We worked in close collaboration with the architect and client to produce a bespoke piece of architecture which inherently contains innovative and elegant structural systems which furthers our understanding of low embodied carbon structures and helps us to challenge the status quo in contemporary building design.