To what extent are existing typologies suitable for new, contemporary housing needs without falling into historic architecture? This question lays at the basis of the design of a barn house by Aequo Architecturals. The local typology in Eelde is formed by a simple farmers barn, that is orientated with the longitudinal axis across the road. The buildings have one storey with a roof and have been functioning already for centuries within that envelop as a farm.

With the disappearance of the peasant farmers, the farms were transformed into houses without any typological changes brought to them. In the meantime these farm houses serve as a model for new houses in rural areas that still have to be built. A strong attempt is made to answer a modern housing problem. The cross section shows that the barn typology has been examined on sustainability. The search is reflected the most in the skin of the building, where a light regulating structure of wooden strips softens the transition form interior to exterior.