This handsome barn is an example of form following function. The owner needed a workshop and garage on the lower floor, and storage for a collection of vintage vehicles on the upper floor. We built the barn into a hillside so that the vehicles could be driven directly into the upper story (see the photo of the second floor exterior below).
Clerestory windows light up the hammer beam trusses. These trusses are a traditional form that allows a roof to span to a length greater than an individual timber. The oldest standing hammer beam roof, built about 1290, is Winchester Cathedral in Pilgrims’ Hall in Winchester, England. In this barn, even more room was needed on the lower “working” level, so one-story sheds were added on both sides. The result is a unique and beautiful barn that is fully functional for the owner’s needs.
(And wouldn’t the second floor also be perfect for barn dances? Moonlight streaming in the windows, fiddle tunes drifting out…)
