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An I-Beam Runs Through It

A steel I-beam leads you in and plays off of a large barn’s interior frame while bridging the transition to a modern living space. Princeton, NJ. October, 2013.

What happens when you combine Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, an international firm best known to the general public for the design of Apple’s iconic stores, with McAuliffe+Carroll Architects, a Trenton based firm I have featured in prior posts, and a barn on Princeton’s Cherry Hill Road? A modern living space attached to a large barn which plays off of the barn’s post and beam construction.

The steel I-beam carries all the way through the living space to the rear of the new addition. Princeton, NJ. October, 2013.
While much smaller in volume than the pre-existing barn, the new addition commands attention. Princeton, NJ. October, 2013.
A sharply angled living space added to a pre-existing barn. Cherry Hill Road house. Princeton, NJ. October, 2013.
Metal clad bump-outs add to the new addition’s contemporary feel. Princeton, NJ. October, 2013.
Inside, a long hallway runs the length of the new addition. Note the I-beam overhead. Princeton, NJ. October, 2013.
Two small bridges make the jump between the barn and the addition’s main floor. Princeton, NJ. October, 2013.

As noted in the captions above, the steel I-beam carries through from the home’s entrance to the exterior of the back of the addition. The addition’s sharp angles, inside and out, stand in stark contrast to the boxiness of the barn.

As a photographer or a filmmaker, a lack of 90 degree angles in a space can make it difficult to frame up. On this project the effect was compounded by the barn. It’s outer walls are not true. They tilt in about 10 degrees. You can see this in the door frame on the right where a triangular wedge is needed to match the frame to the barn’s outer wall (directly above).

Design Architect: Peter Bohlin, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.

Executive Architect: McAuliffe+Carroll Architects.

This brings my residential architecture projects up to date. The residential architecture gallery on my website can be found here. I still have another commercial project or two to add and then, next up, getting the people galleries current.