Creation: Gentleman's Barn

Description: Our client arrived at our office with a timber framer and a copy of "Barn - The Art of a Working Building." He gestured to the book’s cover photograph asking if we could design a similar looking barn to fit the site specific contours of his rural residential estate just across the Vermont border in New York State. His request was to build a handsome and utilitarian barn that would fully incorporate the artistic, structural and wood working talents of his friend, the timber framer, who was familiar with our design repertoire. In addition to the Douglas fir timber frame, our client wished to use local stone for the foundation, copper for the roofing, flashing and light fixtures and white oak as the wear layer for the main and loft floors. In the tradition of barn construction, two layers of 1 x 8 overlapping boards are used for the above grade wall assembly. Access to the cupolas is gained through a unique system of custom designed ladders and catwalks fabricated by a local metal worker. Programmatically, he asked for a working barn for sheep, goats and horses, year round livestock water, and hay and farm equipment storage. The owner also envisions local barn dances, fundraising events with the possibility of someday hosting graduate level studies for universities.