© Philip Vile

Architects: Studio Seilern Architects

Location: United Kingdom, Oxford, UK

Architect In Charge: Studio Seilern Architects

Area: 300.0 sqm

Project Year: 2013

Photographs: Philip Vile

Structural Engineer: TALL Engineers

Services Engineer: Atelier TEN

Lighting Consultant: Sutton Vane Associates

Quantity Surveyor: BAQUS

© Philip Vile

 Old Belchers Farm is a 17th Century farmhouse with a collection of barns and stables. The buildings have Historic Interest Building Status and the property falls within the Conservation Area of Little Milton.
© Philip Vile

The project brief was for a conversion that was to offer a new contemporary art and exhibition space that would help contribute to the upkeep of the estate, consisting of a dining room and of ces that wrap around a hidden library at the centre of the project.

© Philip Vile

This library, the heart of the concept, contains four secret doors that when opened connect to the surrounding spaces. When these doors are closed, the room is lined with bookshelves on all sides. It has a mirrored polished steel ceiling, which doubles the perceived height of the space by creating bookshelves that seem to extend to in nity. A set of thin L-shaped steel plates...