Henry Moore Studios & Gardens
DSDHA has transformed the Sheep Field Barn at Henry Moore Studios & Gardens to provide new learning and engagement facilities alongside enhanced gallery spaces dedicated to the life and work of Henry Moore. Located at the Hertfordshire home of the acclaimed sculptor, the newly renovated structure sits within 70 acres of sheep fields and sculpture gardens, adjacent to the studios where Moore created his unique works.
Originally an agricultural building used for storage by Moore and later adapted as a gallery in 1999, DSDHA have reimagined the structure through a substantial refurbishment and extension that doubles its footprint. Informed by principles ofregenerative design, the project creates new workshops for learning, making and engagement, improves the gallery experience and upgrades ageing building services. It also advances the Henry Moore Foundation’s net-zero ambitions, setting a benchmark for low-carbon gallery environments.
DSDHA has upgraded the original barn with a simple lean-to ‘cart shed’ extension, extending the existing steel frame by one bay and adding a Douglas Fir timber structure that sits lightly on reusable steel screw pile foundations; providing a restrained, understated complement to Moore’s sculptures displayed within the Sheep Field. Reflecting Moore’s ethos of reuse and frugality, the exterior is overclad with reclaimed Silver Spruce Timber from barns in Yorkshire and the interior lined with the barn’s repurposed timber cladding, thereby reducing carbon emissions and supporting the circular economy.
Through material reuse, integrated ground source heat pumps, solar panels and efficient conditioning systems and form-factor, Sheep Field Barn is projected to surpass 50% reduction to 2030 LETI targets for embodied and operational carbon. Reflecting the environmental values embedded in Moore’s life and work, the new extended roofscape integrates photovoltaic panels, alongside openable rooflights, enabling natural ventilation and controlled daylight to the learning spaces. New air-conditioning systems to the galleries operate at lower, less energy-intensive speeds, which remove audible disruption, whilst maintaining conservation conditions required for artworks. Sheep wool insulation within the building envelope provides an environmentally friendly, natural material solution that further references the agricultural identity and context of the scheme. In applying regenerative design principles, DSDHA’s design both doubles the size of the barn and halves the running costs.
“[DSDHA] have been a fantastic, brilliant team — really engaging to work with; no consideration was too small.” – Lesley Wake, Chief Operating Officer, The Henry Moore Foundation