Built in 1940, the barn occupies a prominent position at the main entrance to the tree nursery. It is to be converted into a sales space with exhibition areas and offices for the company’s administration. Our aim is to create a place that appears inviting from the outside and, through its transparency, offers glimpses into the interior: a space to visit and explore, to discover and be surprised by; a place for exhibiting, consulting, planning, working and selling.

Three Gables
How can the qualities of the existing barn – its natural stone walls, timber framing and distinctive timber structure – be brought to the fore and transformed into a new centre for the tree nursery without substantially altering the existing fabric?

A “house within a house” concept uses the existing barn as a protective shell against the weather. The impressive interior has been cleared of later additions, revealing the full volume of the space. The new uses are carefully woven into the existing timber framework, preserving the structure as a coherent whole.

Two new architectural elements complement the barn: a bridge-like office volume, with sanitary facilities and a sales counter on the ground floor, and a suspended façade with a projecting canopy. Existing openings in the building are reactivated, integrating the interior into the everyday activities of the garden display areas and into the routines of visitors and staff.

As the barn was rebuilt on existing foundations following a fire, its form is asymmetrical. The inserted volume draws on the geometry of the barn’s roof, creating a dialogue between three gables: the barn, the canopy and the new insertion.

Spatial Sequence
Moving through the barn, narrow and expansive spaces overlap with areas of light and shadow, creating a sequence of distinct spatial qualities. Along the south façade facing the main entrance, sections of the timber frame are opened up to bring daylight into the interior. During the day, the incoming light heightens the perception of the space by illuminating the entire roof volume. After dark, the internal structure becomes visible from outside, turning the barn into a distinctive luminous presence for passers-by. This approach makes additional openings in the large roof surface unnecessary.

Building on the Existing
Reducing the heated spaces to a minimum provides an energy-efficient and resource-conscious solution tailored specifically to the client’s needs. The existing materials – sandstone, masonry and exposed timber framing – continue to define the character of the interior. New spatial and structurally necessary elements are constructed in timber.

The existing floors are complemented with natural stone and tiles, while abstract motifs establish a subtle reference to the tree nursery.