ProjectCornish Vineyard
LocationCornwall
ClientPrivate
StatusPlanning
Restoring a brownfield site in Cornwall into a winery, botanical studio, and family home to support the family’s regenerative vineyard
Situated on the North Cornwall coastline, Relistian Vineyard is on a unique rural plot that has suffered years of monoculture farming and mining. The project is a response to the site’s rich Cornish history and the natural materials of the landscape, creating a home rooted in its surroundings.
The proposal supports a new regeneratively farmed vineyard with a winery, native botanical gardens and studio, and a home for Ben, Micaela, and their young daughter. The family moved from London, seeking a more rural way of life while restoring the land’s natural ecology. Their new house will be inextricably connected to the land, remediating the site and creating a productive landscape whilst supporting thriving ecology.
Developing A Historic Cornish Site
The site holds a rich social and material history. The underlying geology is granite, laced with tin and copper minerals quarried on site since the medieval period and now left to bramble scrub. A recent mining survey identified a number of mine shafts on the site which the design works around and safely remediates where necessary for the land to be made accessible again.
From the outset the clients have been determined to leave the wider land ownership in better condition than they found it. The proposal reverses the damage caused by a period of intensive monoculture farming across the adjacent fields, restoring the land using a regenerative farming approach to become Cornwalls’ second most westerly Vineyard.
A Rural Family Home
The concept for the home is a subtle nod to the site’s underlying rock and the distinct history it holds. Granite sits alongside a complimentary timber frame and glass material palette, referencing the experiential quality of moving from the mines underground to the open landscape above.
The four-bedroom home is arranged on a single storey, entered through a granite passage that opens into a light-filled entrance hall leading to open plan kitchen, dining and living spaces. The southern edges feature lighter materials and large windows to maximise views and passive solar gains. A two-bedroom annex to the west will bookend the building, to be used as accommodation for extended family, seasonal workers on the vineyard and as a holiday rental.
The Regenerative Vineyard and Winery
The large associated arable fields are being planted as a vineyard, with 3000 additional trees to form shelterbelts, with deep hedgerow and meadow planting around the periphery of the fields. Further biodiversity enhancements such as ponds, wet and dry coppice, and an orchard will also be introduced across the fields.
The winery will be a simple agricultural building, purpose-built to house grape processing and production. The building will be clad with locally sourced timber and topped with a green corrugated metal roof, tying in with the striking architecture of the home, whilst sensitively coloured to minimise the visual impact.
Micaela’s Botanical Studio
The site includes a native botanical garden and studio for Micaela, who runs a botanical skincare studio. The lightweight studio will be positioned amongst a rich variety of planting used in the production and development of Micaela’s skincare products.
Environmental Strategy
Studio Bark aims for all our new builds to be Whole Life Zero Carbon, meaning they remove more carbon from the atmosphere than they create in their lifetime. A significant aspect of our design process involves carbon calculations using our carbon tool, SmallCarbon.
The environmental strategy for the house primarily reduces energy demand through fabric-first principles. Then, the mix of technologies and building services aims to further reduce the anticipated energy demand. Energy modelling optimises building orientation, and the best placement for windows and PV panels, throughout the seasons. Different material options are tested to compare their carbon impacts. We look to further reduce embodied carbon by sourcing local and reclaimed materials, with all options within a 10-20 mile radius of the site.
Working With Agricultural Sites
At Studio Bark, we’ve spent over a decade working with countryside sites. Our approach blends expertise in rural planning policy with a commitment to pioneering ecological design.
If you’re looking to unlock the potential of a rural or agricultural site, we can guide you through the complexities of the planning landscape - from the architectural rigour of Paragraph 84 (the “Country House Clause”) to the transformative possibilities of Class Q barn conversions.
We work closely with specialist consultants to ensure our homes are more than just joyful places to live; they are designed to actively enrich the biodiversity and character of the landscapes they inhabit.
Start by exploring our resources:
Develop your own integrated vineyard and home project
Discover how you can build a one-off home in the countryside with Paragraph 84
Learn about how you can convert farm buildings with Class Q & Class R
