Smart Architectural Design and Community Combine at Swallowfield Barn

In British Columbia, a whole village helped Asher deGroot, a Canadian-based architect from Molitov Architects in Vancouver, to construct an amazing barn for the livestock from his parent’s farm.

Traditional Barn Raising Approach With Voluntary Workforce 60 Strong

Cutting costs were the aim of the unique approach, as Asher’s parents, Jenny and Dennis wanted to handle the work themselves, along with around 60 different volunteers. Which also follows the local tradition in North America of barn-raising, rearing construction, in which members of the community get involved in the work.

According to deGroot, the idea was to build a new gathering space and barn using easily-sourced materials, simple techniques and the traditions of barn-raising.

Collaborative Effort With Equilibrium For The Pitch Veener Roof

The finished barn has a very unique and quirky pitched roof constructed using laminated-veneer lumber frames. The design was a collaborative effort between deGroot and Equilibrium’s Eric Karsh, a wood engineer specialist. Ample natural light flowing in and the wooden beams closely spaced together, give it an almost cathedral-style look and feel.

To help outline the angular profile of the barn, a timber archway has been constructed in a garden across from it, creating an almost processional-feel to the grass-covered pathway leading to the entrance of the barn.

Both the front of the barn and the back have been expertly clad with boards of Douglas fir wood laid vertically. The reclaimed wood was previously used in casting concrete as form-work. On the back and front are narrow windows that help to shine light into the barn.

Incredibly Spacious Ground Floor For The Animals

As the ground floor has been designed for various alleys and entryways to be used in transporting animals and equipment, it is incredibly spacious. As artistically amazing it may be, it is still a barn that has a very ordinary and straightforward purpose as a house for barn owls, cats, fowl and the resident cattle.

In the loft area of this construction, laminated beams have been used to construct the ceiling with exposed beams. DeGroot sees the real stand-out element of this build as being the community hall and hayloft that are up from the ground levels and can be accessed by the workshop.

Langley is a town that is close to the Washington state border and this is where you will find the extraordinary Swallowfield Barn. This area is known for some stunning agricultural buildings, including Washington Fruit and Produce Company’s wooden, angular headquarters, designed by Graham Baba Architects or the winery, with its metal-clad exterior and a gravity-flow look designed by Olson Kundig. Both of these structures have very low-flying angles that allow them to integrate and merge with the beautiful mountains in the background.

Images courtesy of Ema Peter Photography / MOTIV Architects