Poynton Bradbury Architects also working on wider masterplan for 81ha Somerset Levels site
Clementine Blakemore Architects has submitted plans to transform a former dairy farm on the Somerset Levels into a research hub for scientists investigating peatland restoration.
The Honeygar scheme has been designed for the Somerset Wildlife Trust and will focus on the refurbishment of historic barns at the centre of the 81ha site.
The proposals include laboratories, a lecture theatres, workshops, community spaces and accommodation within a cluster of mostly mid-19th century agricultural buildings, which are arranged in a traditional U-shaped plan to protect livestock from strong winds.
Poynton Bradbury Architects are also on the team developing a wider masterplan for the site and addressing its later 20th century buildings.
Clementine Blakemore Architects said the plans aim to carefully adapt and restore the stone and timber structures and restore the historic farmyard as the heart of the new research facility.
The scheme has similarities to the firm’s Wraxall Yard, a conversion of a series of dilapidated barns into accessible holiday lets which was shortlisted for the Stirling Prize in 2024.
The practice said its proposals for Honeygar “build on the agricultural character of the site, where contemporary materials and structures have been layered directly onto the historic fabric as the farm evolved”.
Proposed new structures would be built from a material palette of timber, corrugated sheet and wood fibre insulation to form lightweight extensions to the existing buildings.
The restoration of peatlands, which are formed of organic matter deposited over millenia and can store a huge amount of carbon, is seen as a potentially important contribution to fighting climate change.
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