The small freestanding structure is an artist's studio located in Bundoran Farm - a unique sustainable residential community and working farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia.
The studio is sited on the high point of a 33-acre lot, between a pasture, an orchard and an existing cottage, and opens to north and west light and distant views. The simple, minimal, prismatic form of the building distills our Scandinavian barn inspirations into an essential and timeless vernacular.
As one approaches the studio, the dark geometry resolves into individual slats of wood and the structure changes quite a bit from distant to near. The color palette is kept to an absolute minimum using dark-stained poplar slats for both wall and roof. The wood is thermally-treated for permanence. The cladding system is sectional and designed to be removable. The vertical slats are attached to horizontal battens, aligned on all elevations, roof and entry door. Behind carefully detailed and rigorously spaced wood slats is a black UV-stable waterproofing membrane.
The interior is an unembellished working space painted white. It is equipped with adjustable ceiling track lighting and a walk-in art supply closet across the south wall. Large windows light the room from three sides and provide a 270-degree view of the surrounding pasture and mountains, with western exposures shaded by the adjacent mature oak trees.
Team:
Owner’s Design Representative: Ivy Naté
General Contractor: Element Construction
Photographer: Virginia Hamrick Photography
Awards:
2022 Architecture Masterprize Winner in Small Architecture category
2022 AIA Virginia Design Award of Honor in Small Projects category
2022 World Design Awards Winner in Small Building (Built) category
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