Built on the former site of a 200m² “séchoir à tabac” the house respects the industrialised approach adopted by farmers when building the tobacco drying barns that used to be found throughout the Lot et Garonne. The structure is a mixture of pine internally, with green oak where exposed externally.  Cladding is in French larch and the insulation to walls and roof is a minimum 300mm wood fibre. The plan is based on a 3.5 x 4.5m grid with an open plan ground floor and a mezzanine above with 3 bedrooms, an atrium and an open lounge. Passivhaus principles have been used throughout including heat recovery ventilation and triple glazing.  Rainwater harvesting is via a 10,000 litre tank buried in the garden and the south facing veranda and roof overhang shields the house from the worst of the midday sun.