AN abandoned former chicken shed near Monmouth which has been converted into a stylish holiday home is just one of the buildings shortlisted for this year’s National Eisteddfod of Wales’ Gold Medal for Architecture, supported by the Design Commission for Wales and Royal Society of Architects in Wales.

The rundown barn has been transformed by Chepstow-based Hall and Bednarczyk Architects into a contemporary holiday home that sleeps eight people in four double bedrooms. A floor to ceiling glass wall, which runs the length of the one-storey building, floods the living spaces with natural light and provides guests with views over the Black Mountains on the Wales-England border.

The shortlist of seven building projects, located across Wales, which are in the running for the Gold Medal was unveiled yesterday (Thursday 30th June) at a reception hosted by the National Eisteddfod of Wales and supported by Design Commission for Wales and Royal Society of Architects in Wales at The Chapel, Abergavenny.

The Gold Medal recognises the importance of architecture in the nation’s culture and to honour architects achieving the highest design standards.

Supported by the Design Commission for Wales, and awarded in association with the Royal Society of Architects in Wales, the Medal recognises architectural excellence in buildings completed between 1st January 2013 and 14th March 2016 and recommended to the Eisteddfod as being of the greatest merit.