For our latest roundup, we have collected five times architects have either created new cowsheds or transformed existing sheds into houses, studios and libraries.
In locations from Rajasthan, India, to Dorset, UK, architects are working with agricultural buildings to create surprising and well-designed spaces that celebrate their functional pasts.
Here are five of the best:
Photo by The Space Tracing Company
Cow House, India, by Compartment S4
One of just two brand-new cowsheds designed to house animals on this list, the sculptural Cow House in Maharashtra, India, was designed by Indian studio Compartment S4.
The aim was for the building, which replaces a dilapidated shed, to prioritise the comfort of both staff and cows. It was constructed from brick, stone and bamboo.
Find out more about Cow House ›
Photo by Max Creasy
Cowshed, UK, by David Kohn Architects
London studio David Kohn Architects worked on the former dairy farm Middle Rocombe Farm, in Newton Abbot, UK, turning an agricultural building into a house and studio aptly named Cowshed.
The studio aimed to keep as much of the existing 1979 building as possible, retaining its original timber trusses, concrete floor and columns and some blockwork walls while adding new concrete blockwork.
Find out more about Cowshed ›
Photo by Ingrid Rasmussen
Stanbridge Mill Library, UK, by Crawshaw Architects
A former cowshed in Dorset was turned into the light-filled Stanbridge Mill Library, which is organised around a wooden, barrel-vaulted arcade that references the client’s collection of books on Palladian architecture.
The library and office is located in an outbuilding of a Georgian farmhouse on a grade II-listed farm that had stood neglected for over forty years. London studio Crawshaw Architects made only small structural interventions to the building.
Find out more about Stanbridge Mill Library ›
Photo by Norbert Wunderling
The Potato Shed, the Netherlands, by Julius Taminiau Architects
Dutch studio Julius Taminiau Architects felt like it was “stepping into Vincent van Gough’s painting The Potato Eaters” when it first saw the austere agricultural structures on a former farm in the Netherlands.
It kept only the foundations of an old cowshed when creating this home, which was named for the painting and is clad in thin timber slats that conceal double-layered openings.
Find out more about The Potato Shed ›
Photo by Eshwarya Grover
Gaushala, India, by Studio Saar
Located in south Rajasthan, India, the Gaushala – Hindi for cowshed – dairy facility was built using 560 tonnes of reclaimed material including steel and rubble.
It was designed to accommodate a herd of 40 native cows called Gir and has a sculptural, undulating roof that helps to divert water away from the building.