Rethinking Rural Architecture

Shepherd’s hut, Yorkshire Dales

"An architect should live as little in cities as a painter. Send him to our hills, and let him study there what nature understands by a buttress, and what by a dome."

John Ruskin - The Stones of Venice (1851)

“It is not so much the old village or the old back street that is significant. It is the perception and affirmation of a world in which one is not necessarily a stranger and an agent, but can be a member, a discoverer, in a shared source of life.”

Raymond Williams – The Country and the City (1973)

Although Oli and I both grew up in the countryside we have spent much of our careers in cities: learning, teaching and practicing architecture.  When we set up our practice in the small town of Bruton, Somerset in 2018, we were compelled to ask ourselves how our approach to architecture met with our new rural home and how we might need to adapt. Do the same principles apply to the design process? Are there new freedoms or sensitivities that affect our decisions? In what ways do urban and rural architecture diverge?

We cannot and should not expect to answer such questions quickly, but rather to explore and test them through our built work, over time. There are certain fundamental principles that we hold dear. For example, we reject traditionalism and banality – the architecture of pastiche and duplication so often favoured by mass-housing builders. We strive for innovation and invention, to test new ways of building that are relevant to our time, whilst achieving quality and value. But in our new surroundings we are aware of divergences from urban practice, considering the unique challenges of the rural built environment in an increasingly complex world. 

One such area is the relationship between the individual and community. When working in the city there is a vast opportunity for the architect to experiment: creativity, individuality and diversity are all actively encouraged. The city expects change and celebrates difference. While change is inevitable and necessary in rural communities, the countryside is also embedded in neighbourhood, continuity and the seasonal fluctuations of the land and those who work it. Regional characteristics play an important role in defining local identity and demand that we challenge change for change’s sake, imported from elsewhere. There is still a need for innovation and creativity, but the framework is different.

In terms of architecture this might suggest interventions that are contextual, local and embedded in the land. We may also consider whether the vernacular could be reinterpreted in a way that is current and meaningful. The openness of landscape might suggest that new buildings do not shout too loudly, overstate their originality or establish themselves at odds with the landscape. Rural architecture must also respect economy and the reality of lower land values, demanding a more pragmatic approach to construction and a suspicion of superfluousness.

And yet change is afoot. Global warming, modern agricultural practices, the proliferation of distribution warehouses, gentrification borne out of second homes and the covid-led exodus from cities. These issues are not confined to architecture, but they demand that architects have a bold response. When necessary our architecture can also be outspoken, as long as it is relevant, integrated with the land, entwined with the story of place, and with meaning beyond the individuals who commission or build. Rebalancing the built environment around change whilst realising opportunity - this is the challenge of every generation of architects and is no less urgent outside the city.

We are really excited to be working is the countryside, in local towns, villages and fields. We are building up a team of builders and makers that we trust and familiarising ourselves with local conditions and skills. With an open mind we hope to observe and learn from our surroundings and create a lasting rural architecture that is beautiful, bold and relevant to our time.