This Light-Filled Modern Barn is A Guest House, Fitness Room and Workshop

Architectural Evolution and Purpose

The owners of this modern barn building had commissioned the architect to do their original home design 23 years ago. Fast forward to today, and they went to the architects again to help with the designing of a new stand-alone structure on the property to accommodate three uses to include a large garage/workshop, a comfortable guest suite, and a fitness/workout room. The garage was going to be used where the husband could indulge in his passion for restoring vintage bicycles, cars, and motorcycles. The clients had been researching the precedents for the new building and had decided that the 2,400-square-foot cabin building should take on the form of a classic gambrel-roof barn, so that was the starting point for the modern barn design.

Site Location and Scenic Views

The building site is a 15-acre site with a rustic log cabin building at the edge of a lake with scenic views of the Teton Range to the north and west. By locating the modern barn off the northeast corner of the existing log house, the modern barn design manages to capture views without compromising the views of the main log house. Because the modern barn shape is classic and traditional, the architects wanted to add in an unexpected element in the barn design, which took the modern form of a glass curtain wall in the fitness/workout area that takes full advantage of the scenic Teton views to the north.

Materials and Interior Design

The building materials for the modern barn are in keeping with its traditional form and are limited to just two different tones of old barn wood to include brown and gray. The modern barn is a rigorous set of timber and steel trusses on a 4-foot module that runs the entire length of the barn building. The lower level of the barn style house is dedicated to the workshop garage and barn entry, while the upper level of the modern barn has the workout room with a small kitchen and the guest suite. The interior of this barn style house reflects a contemporary aesthetic that manages to complement the modern barn's functional, clean lines.

Benefits of the Gambrel Barn Design

The gambrel barn design is one of the most popular rooflines because it offers the greatest interior space in the second story loft. Barn style houses in the gambrel barn style have a large loft with plenty of versatility, which offers the opportunity to design a second-story living space that best suits your needs. If ample storage space for equipment or hay is needed for your livestock or storage barn, the gambrel style of the barn will meet that need. The gambrel barn design is modeled after the European-style of barns. The gambrel roof line is self-supporting and became popular because this design allowed farmers to increase the size of their barns by adding about one-third more barn loft space than other barn rooflines without having to increase the barn's footprint. Besides being used for storage and livestock, barns are becoming increasingly popular for use as barn style houses, and can even be designed to be used as work and live spaces.