Project Description

Stanfordville Modern Barn

Located in the grassy hills of Duchess County NY, this 3,500 square foot house was designed in response to the owner’s request for a modern home, but one that would also look natural in the very rural setting they had chosen for it. The result was a unique structure that references the classic form of the Shaker barn – but also has a distinctly contemporary edge.

The home consists of three barn-shaped structures, each with a barrel roof. The barns are laid out in a z-shape, based on the contours of the land. This means that each barn is on a different level, and each looks out to a different view. The home is clad with vernacular materials like stained wood shingles and vertical cedar siding. The roof is galvanized standing seam roofing, commonly used on farm buildings. Several structural innovations went into the construction of this project. The central barn employs a unique structure in which curved continuous laminated wood beams support both the roof and the walls. The central barn features a free-floating metal and wood staircase that hangs in front of a two story-high steel and glass curtain wall.

The project was featured on HGTV’s “Dreambuilders” show, was published in Metropolitan Home Magazine, and was displayed in the Cooper Hewitt Museum’s Triennial of American Design.

  • Architect: Dennis Wedlick, BarlisWedlick Architects LLC
  • Project Manager: Joseph Koelbel
  • Contractor: Kirchhoff Construction
  • Photography: Reto Guntli