Barns are just wonderful structures. A renovated barn is old and full of character, simple and large in its form. It’s capable of containing a range of spaces, and it’s handmade and industrial—as well as an antique that has had new life breathed into it. The renovated barn is all white and new. White is a terrific color for this barn, as it sets the structure off against the green of the landscape and the blue of the sky. Working barns need large openings to get animals and equipment into the barn. For renovated barns the openings are how the interior stays light and bright. Sliding barn doors, iconic features of such a structure, increase the visual size of the opening to respond to the scale of the barn’s broad side. Working closely with the local contractor and a barn restoration consultant, Northworks conducted a thorough investigation of the existing structure. The resulting design is intended to preserve the character of the original barn while taking advantage of its spacious interior volumes and natural materials. The barn’s original silo was kept as a vestige of the structure’s original purpose as part of a working farm. In this way the silo continues to connect the owners and others to the memory of the place.
