Sonoma Barn
Sebastopol, CA
7,400 square feet

Sited in a pasture in Sonoma County, California, this large working barn exhibits a complexly related layering of program, preservation and material assembly. Cut gently into the hillside to minimize grading, the design was developed in accordance with work flow patterns, connectivity to the pasture and a limited budget. Embracing an approach of tectonic simpicity, the proposal looks to program adjacency, simple details using prefabricated components and a water-harvesting roof as opportunities for innovation.

The area’s predominant type--the low-lying shed--is reinterpreted as a collection of discrete buildings connected by an encompassing roof, carefully calibrated to shade the interior spaces during the summer heat and shield the farmers from winter rains. The linked double-bar configuration distributes program on either side of a central court to optimize access to light and air. The project comprises animal stalls, processing rooms, a worker’s residence, an office, hay storage and tractor parking. The buidlings wrapper is a composition of solid and perforated corrugated steel panels, reflecting the needs of conditioned and open-air spaces.

Project Team: Alexander Jermyn, Ajay Manthripragada, Monica Heiman, David Brown
Structural Engineer: ZFA Structural Engineers
Mechanical Engineer: TEP Engineering
Civil Engineer: Lescure Engineering
Geotechnical Engineer: Miller Pacific