Wooded Barn Reinterpreted

Tucked into a sloping site near Waterbury, Flavin Architects reinterprets the classic rustic barn popular in northern New England in our Vermont Barn. The new structure was sited where an old milking barn for a dairy farm once stood. This in-progress project was designed in collaboration with Burlington-based landscape architecture firm, Wagner Hodgson Landscape Architecture. We designed the barn as a support structure to the outdoor pool area which includes a sauna, cold plunge, outdoor shower, and infinity pool. This space has guest quarters on the lower level, as well as a workshop and garage large enough to fit a tractor, a request from our client. The second level opens up for entertaining and hosts a large fireplace in the building’s core. The third level contains a more private reading nook and library.

Lattice clads the barn, letting the building glow like a lantern at night. Our design riffs on the classic barn door, integrating sliding slatted screens on the second level decks, allowing for cross breezes on hot summer days. The modern barn still has a rustic feel with wood tones on the interior, board form concrete, and thermally-modified siding. The metal roof is designed with exposed rafter tails. Heavy timber beams create a strong support structure for the expansive glazing which emphasizes distant views of the iconic Green Mountain peak, Camel’s Hump.