Meier Road
A painter and a collector needed both an art studio and a barn to house a multitude of curiosities and memorabilia. Program-wise this was an exciting starting point. The project started as a renovation of an existing working barn, but turned into a new building after the existing structure was deemed unsalvageable.
The project brief was straightforward; provide large flexible spaces that could be used to store farm equipment, collectables and an art studio. Using the barn typology had an instant appeal. The main challenge became to create an ideal art studio within the barn vernacular. Inverting the traditional gable barn roof solved this by gaining the needed height, and provides the studio with the indirect northern light conditions.
Drawings for the new barn was delivered on the same footprint the existing barn, and the new barn were built for just over $140 per square foot. Construction materials reflect the agrarian character of the previous building and functional nature of the new working barn.
The project was driven by the owners’ need for additional working space, climate safe storage of artwork/collectibles and the need to provide adequate space for a painter’s studio. The new building consists of 2,500 square feet and is wood framed with steel moment frames. They allow for the large utilitarian openings and spans required to maneuver tractors, and art work in and out of the building, while providing optimal light characteristics for the artist.
The Norwegian owners have a love for wood as a construction material. 100-year-old reclaimed barn siding was used as the exterior cladding material, while budgetary and functional constraints led to plywood being chosen as the interior cladding material. This also resulted in an uncluttered feel that would go well with the multitude of artifacts to be stored there. Framing material and siding from the existing barn was used for cabinetry. The roof was constructed with rusted steel reminiscent of the previous barn structure’s roofing and siding.
Project Address – Meier Road, Sebastopol, CA
Project Data
Site size: 10 acres
Building size: 2,500 square feet
Construction cost per square foot: $140
Materials:
Exterior cladding: Reclaimed wood siding
Interior walls: Unfinished Birch Plywood.
Interior ceilings: Unfinished Birch Plywood.
Floors: Concrete & Wood flooring.
Windows and exterior doors: Thermally broken aluminum with low-e glass
Roofing: Corrugated Corten metal roofing.
Cabinetwork: Repurposed exterior siding from demolished barn on-site
Structural system: Wood framing and steel moment frames on concrete foundation.
