The Barn Cohousing

Inspired by the concept of adaptive reuse, the Barn Cohousing project sought to entice people of all ages to relocate to Vermont through communal life and relatively low cost of living. The design of this project was most influenced by the discovery of a lot for sale which included all of the structures and equipment used when the site was an active garden center. All aspects of the previous center offered opportunities for the new design most notably a Christmas tree farm for income, a vegetable garden for fresh produce, and a double-height storage structure that would become the residential area of the site. The adaptive reuse feature of this design came to light during the discovery of a collection of sheds on the property. These small "units" became the interior building blocks of the residential building and provided the necessary additional insulation that could not be achieved with just the walls of the storage structure.  While initially planning to design each unit with a personal bathroom, the final design sought to simplify the utilities of the space and reduce costs by consolidating the restrooms to one particular location on each of the two floors.