Among the first pieces I wrote for needed to do with my love of barns. Barns are just wonderful structures. A renovated barn is outdated and full of character, easy and large in its form. It is capable of containing a selection of spaces, and it is handmade and industrial — and an antique that has had new life breathed into it.
When I stumbled upon Northworks’ Michigan barn project, I instantly wanted to learn more. What I discovered is that the proprietor’s history with the property meant this barn needed to be saved. It would have been less work and less costly to split the present building, but we’re all the better because the owner stuck it out to create something entirely new from something old and dilapidated.
Northworks Planners and Architects
The renovated barn is all new and white. White is a terrific color for this barn, since it lays the structure off from the green of the scene as well as the blue of the skies.
Working barns need large openings to acquire animals and equipment into the barn. For renovated barns the openings are how the interior stays bright and light. Sliding barn doors, iconic features of such a structure, increase the visual size of the opening to react to the scale of the barn’s broad side.
And what is a barn without its stone base and base? This permanent and massive stone base provides just the right counternote into the seemingly transient wood frame construction above it.
Northworks Planners and Architects
The opposite broad side has yet another barn-door-size opening. Both openings are full of steel-framed glass walls that visually fade off, allowing the openings read as large rectangular voids in the bigger solid rectangles of the barn’s walls.
Northworks Planners and Architects
The barn’s original silo was kept as a vestige of the structure’s original purpose as a portion of a functioning farm. This manner the silo continues to connect the owners and other people to the memory of the place.
Northworks Planners and Architects
The deck along the negative reminds us this is a house for people today. This is now a place to warm oneself on a glowing Michigan day.
Northworks Planners and Architects
The renovated interior includes the original barn structure within rebuilt exterior walls. Given the rhythm and scale of this structure, it was smart to have the living room at one end of the window, a two-story kitchen with bedrooms above in the other end and a large, two-story space in the center.
Northworks Planners and Architects
This two-story space in the center of the house is the point where the dining takes place. Oversize glass walls in the ends of this space keeps the interior bright and airy and attached to the outdoors.
Northworks Planners and Architects
A simple kitchen loft space above anchor the opposite end of the interior.
From the kitchen, that is open to the interior, stainless steel finishes predominate. The slick, modern and shiny stainless provides a wonderful relief to every one the stained timber.
Northworks Planners and Architects
The loft is a wonderful perch from which to gaze out as one reads a book or takes a rest. And from this vantage point, the large openings in the barn’s sides yield perspectives into the exterior.
Northworks Architects and Planners
Last, but not least, is this lap pool at the lower-level cellar, used by the owner daily. The pool area was created by completely rebuilding the basis of the barn, which was no small feat.
Before Photo
Northworks Architects and Planners
Glimpses of the Work in Progress
In fact the barn had to be briefly supported and increased to build the new base and reduced level. Although this kind of effort put into rescue an old construction is normal in Europe, it is really rare in the U.S.. The architect, Austin DePree of Northworks Architects and Planners, states that keeping the structure intact while lifting it and building the new base was the most challenging portion of the project.
Before Photo
Northworks Architects and Planners
The new base walls are reinforced concrete covered in stone. With this new base set up, work on the actual wooden barn structure began. The wood siding was removed and saved for reuse.
Before Photo
Northworks Architects and Planners
Removing the siding needed to be carried out carefully to be sure that the barn didn’t collapse. Temporary supports and bracing were set up to keep the structure from falling down into a pile of sticks.
Before Photo
Northworks Architects and Planners
Here’s what the barn looked like before the renovations began. While there are many people who would have thought the structure was past repair, thankfully the operator and her staff weren’t one of them.
