A 17th-century barn gives place to a new studio and exhibition space in Weinstadt, Germany. This beautiful renovation project by Coast Office Architecture demonstrates the everlasting adaptability of traditional buildings to modern necessities. In fact, the design followed a simple direction: maintain the original aesthetic and identity of the ancient timber structure by using traditional methods and techniques to reinforce the damaged barn.
Located at the heart of the small town, this urban fragment of the past was facing an imminent danger of a collapsing roof due to the rotten timber members and damp exterior walls.
A surgical operation was inevitable: the damaged roof was replaced and the structure was reinforced with new beams using traditional joinery techniques such as nails and wooden pegs. The interior was also treated with an application of clay plaster while the former stone walls were rehabilitated.
The distribution of the new program was carefully developed: the ground floor is now reserved for the exhibition and workshop area. The two zones are defined through a fine difference in elevation as well as the old wooden braces that run along the spine of the layout.
Rustic details were kept along the walls and ceiling, preserving the interior atmosphere faithful to the barn’s history. A private artist’s retreat which can be accessed by a wooden ‘staircase sculpture’ completes the first floor. Several portions of the floor have been removed to allow natural daylight from the openings in the roof to reach the ground floor. The rest is History…
Architects: Coast Office Architecture
Photography: David Franck
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