Straitsview Barn

San Juan Island, Washington

Situated on a working farm overlooking the Olympic Range across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Straitsview Barn accommodates a farm office, wood and machine shops, veterinary spaces, and a variety of large-scale equipment and machinery storage. The L-shaped configuration of the building deflects the prevailing northeastern winds coming off the Pacific Ocean and shelters the adjacent work yard, a square court defined by the building’s façade, and a tall, slatted wood fence.

This project attempts to re-deploy the timber frame tradition of the region in the service of an expressive, sculptural architecture. Linear elements include the reclaimed Douglas fir timber frame, the wood nailers, and the cedar slats of seven large rolling doors, which can be opened in fine weather to link the barn interior and the work yard. At the scale of the site, however, the building, sheathed entirely in cedar shingles, is perceived as a monolithic, faceted object. In this way the “wrapped” and mysterious character of the building yields a transformed perception at different scales and from changing vantage points. The project was with Thompson and Rose Architects.