Seamans Building is proud to have constructed the award-winning Balancing Barn in Thorington Suffolk.

Work on the eye-catching building, designed by Netherlands-based MVRDV Architects, with Mole Architects overseeing construction, began in April 2009.

Built for client Living Architecture for use as a holiday let, construction was completed in September 2010.

Living Architecture commissioned the barn with the aim of making modern architecture more accessible to the general public.

Featuring an innovative cantilever design, with around half of the structure suspended over a sloping bank, the Balancing Barn certainly has the ‘wow factor’.

Construction began with the basement and its substantial concrete foundations.

The cantilever was achieved using a substantial steel framework, which then carries the building’s insulated timber framed walls and roof.

These were then clad in stainless steel, polished tiles which reflect the surrounding nature and changing seasons.

The spectacular building includes a large kitchen and dining room and four double bedrooms – each with its own bathroom and toilet.

At the overhanging end of the barn there’s a spacious living area with windows overlooking a lake and open countryside, and a glazed area of floor overlooking the landscaped area below.

Inside the building, the walls are lined with ash faced plywood panels and its support structures cased to match.

The rooms are decorated with pixelated modern tiling based on cloud studies by John Constable and county scenes by Thomas Gainsborough – the county’s most renowned artists.

In addition, the barn is completed with bespoke furnishing and fittings, creating a special space perfect for a getaway.

Duncan Haydon, Managing Director at Seamans Building, said: “This was a great project to work on and one we are very proud of.

“With such an innovative and eye-catching design, this was a challenging build at times.

“We were delighted with how the Balancing Barn turned out – it is such an impressive building both inside and out.

“The client’s goal was to make modern architecture more accessible to the public, and they have certainly achieved that.

“Anyone staying in the Balancing Barn is in for an experience of a lifetime.”