{"id":528379,"date":"2026-04-13T11:20:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T11:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/528379\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T11:20:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T11:20:14","slug":"dsdha-expands-and-upgrades-gallery-at-henry-moore-studios","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/528379\/","title":{"rendered":"DSDHA expands and upgrades gallery at Henry Moore Studios"},"content":{"rendered":"

DSDHA has transformed the Sheep Field Barn at Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, Hertfordshire, to provide new learning and engagement facilities alongside enhanced gallery spaces dedicated to the life and work of sculptor Henry Moore.<\/p>\n

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Located at Moore\u2019s Hertfordshire home in the hamlet of Perry Green, the newly renovated structure sits within 28ha of sheep fields and sculpture gardens, adjacent to the studios where the sculptor made his work.<\/p>\n

The barn was originally an agricultural building used for storage by Moore, who died in 1986, but was adapted by Hawkins\\Brown as a gallery in 1999.<\/p>\n

DSDHA has upgraded this structure and added learning and making workshop spaces for students and visitors, accommodated in a simple lean-to \u2018cart shed\u2019 extension. This both extends the existing steel frame by one bay and adds a Douglas fir timber structure to the west, which sits on reusable steel screw pile foundations.<\/p>\n

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DSDHA founding director David Hills describes the design concept as one of \u2018elegant frugality\u2019, echoing Moore\u2019s own post-war ethos of frugality, in order to ensure the whole structure remained a restrained, understated complement to the surrounding landscape, which is dotted with Moore\u2019s sculptures.<\/p>\n

In line with the Henry Moore Foundation\u2019s net-zero targets, the low-carbon retrofit has been guided by principles of regenerative design. The exterior walls are overclad in reclaimed silver spruce timber from Yorkshire barns and insulated with sheep\u2019s wool.<\/p>\n

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In the interior, the two new \u2018dry\u2019 and \u2018wet\u2019 workshops have been lined with the barn\u2019s repurposed exterior timber cladding. The new workshops are naturally ventilated, with new openable rooflights, and contain integrated storage and display cabinets along one wall, while large windows look out to the surrounding landscape. These are protected from rain, glare and overheating by large overhangs, which also shelter a series of sheep troughs which serve as outdoor sinks.<\/p>\n

New air-conditioning in the galleries, required to maintain conservation conditions, has been designed to operate at lower, less energy-intensive speeds than an earlier system, which was audibly disruptive.<\/p>\n

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Through this combination of material reuse, efficient conditioning systems and form, as well as integrated ground-source heat pumps and solar panels, greatly improves the barn\u2019s sustainability. The retrofitted building is projected to surpass a 50 per cent reduction to 2030 LETI targets for embodied and operational carbon.<\/p>\n

Sheep Field Barn is now open with a permanent exhibition dedicated to the life and work of Henry Moore and an inaugural temporary display, Shelter Drawings<\/a>, featuring Moore\u2019s drawings of Londoners sheltering in the Underground during the Blitz.<\/p>\n

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Architect\u2019s view<\/p>\n

Our approach for the barn, inspired by Moore\u2019s ethos of no-nonsense frugality, interrogates each design decision through the lens of sustainability at every scale, while aiming to create an inclusive and welcoming cultural environment that appeals to and nurtures all those who come to explore, learn and be inspired by the UK\u2019s most significant artist of the twentieth century.<\/p>\n

The design maintains constant views of nature, to anchor and create a considered backdrop to the work, home and studios of Henry Moore, while supporting the work of the foundation today and into the future.
Deborah Saunt, founding director, DSDHA<\/p>\n

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Client\u2019s view<\/p>\n

We are thrilled with the new Sheep Field Barn. Externally, it retains the feel of the former agricultural barn known by Henry Moore, while internally offering state-of-the-art facilities for exhibitions and creative making. The building sits harmoniously within Moore\u2019s historic landscape, in quiet dialogue with his monumental sculptures in the Sheep Fields.<\/p>\n

This is the foundation\u2019s most sustainable building to date, both in terms of decarbonised operations and embodied carbon, and it is beautiful -\u2013 an inspiring place in which to see and make art.
Lesley Wake, chief operating officer, Henry Moore Foundation<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Project data<\/p>\n

Location Henry Moore Studios and Gardens, Perry Green, Hertfordshire
Start on site March 2024
Completion date September 2025
Gross (internal + external) floor area 600m2
Procurement route\u00a0Invited competition
Construction cost \u00a35 million
Architect\u00a0DSDHA
Client Henry Moore Foundation
Structural engineer\u00a0Webb Yates
Mechanical engineer Harley Haddow
Quantity surveyor Stockdale
Fire consultant BWC
Ecologist and arboriculturist TMA
Landscape consultant
Acoustic consultant Sandy Brown
Principal designer DSDHA
Approved building inspector\u00a0Socotec
Main contractor\u00a0Rooff
CAD software used\u00a0Revit<\/p>\n

Environmental performance data<\/p>\n

On-site energy generation 39,362 kWh\/yr
Annual mains water consumption Not supplied
Airtightness at 50Pa 3 m3\/h.m2
Heating and hot water load Not supplied
Operational energy 24 kWh\/m2\/year
Total energy load Not supplied
Overall area-weighted U-value Not supplied
Predicted design life 60 years
Embodied carbon 217 kgCO2 e\/m2
Whole-life carbon Not supplied
Annual CO2 emissions Not supplied
Energy Performance Certificate rating A7<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DSDHA has transformed the Sheep Field Barn at Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, Hertfordshire, to provide new learning…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":528380,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,182385,96,4659,62528,17241,10552,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-528379","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-dsdha","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-gallery","15":"tag-henry-moore-foundation","16":"tag-hertfordshire","17":"tag-sculpture","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom","20":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=528379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/528380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=528379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=528379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=528379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}