Beaumont Mews, St Alban’s, Herts. involved converting the existing barns into 7 luxury holiday lets consisting of five one-bedroom duplex apartments, a one-bedroom apartment and one two-bedroom apartment. The existing built form was a key design driver for the development of the concept and scheme design. A well-balanced contextual design approach was applied maintaining the relationship between old and new with the selection of materials, most predominantly through the use of standing seam zinc cladding which takes inspiration from the metal cladding agricultural and industrial buildings located to the rear of the barn. An early design principle was to highlight any existing areas of architectural merit and use them as a design feature through a mix of traditional and modern elements, also where possible, existing timber features were retained and left exposed. The works comprised refurbishment of existing structure and the part demolition and rebuild of part of the structure to deliver 7 units for letting. A particular highlight was the curtain wall element which comprised an entire elevation of glass intertwining a modern touch to a period property. Being a heritage building, in order to meet budget requirements innovative approaches were required. This included amalgamating a bespoke oak frame structure to a traditional masonry structure, whilst incorporating a large curtain wall system. The cladding enables a contrast in materials and gives new life to the existing building faced with new requirements, uniting the old and the new.