OAK LEAF
BARNS

OAK LEAF BARNS

A facade designed for two barns in rural Ontario. The Oak Leaf barns were inspired by farmers’ display of large quilt graphics on their barns as part of a local quilt trail. The traditional quilt pattern ‘Windblown Square’ was assembled in two tones of wood across the corner of each barn, disintegrating the large corners into pattern. The play of alternating tones of wood on each facade created an exaggerated shadow effect, again skewing interpretations of depth and form. While contemporary in its lines, this supergraphic is rooted in historic folk art, craft, materials, and narratives.

2023

Athens, ON

Client: Private

Type: New Construction, Agricultural

Team: James Macgillivray, Weihan Vivian Lee, Kara Verbeek

A modern gray barn-style building with a large garage door, a side door with a small roof, and a geometric black mural on the right side wall, set against a cloudy sky and surrounded by leafless trees.
A black and white photo of a rustic barn with a geometric quilt pattern on its gable end, small windows, and a rounded water trough in front.
A large geometric mural painted on a wooden wall, featuring black, gray, and white shapes forming a three-dimensional cube pattern.
A grid of 15 black and white geometric puzzle patterns with labels, including Dutchman's Puzzle, Square Deal, Empire Star, Yankee Puzzle, Birds in the Air, Flying Geese, Ribbons, Devil's Puzzle, Churn Dash, Broken Dishes, Octagon, Friendship Star, Windblown Square, Brown Goose, Piced Star, Bear's Paw, Cross and Crown, and Free Trade.
Two modern buildings with dark gray exteriors and metal roofs, one with a geometric mural on the wall, situated on a gravel lot with open fields in the background.
A modern building with gray wooden exterior walls and geometric black and gray artwork on the side.
Architectural blueprint of a building's roof plan showing different roof sections with measurements and angles, including labels for wood types and dimensions.
Interior of a building under construction with exposed wooden walls and ceiling, large garage-style doors, and a wooden staircase leading to an upper platform.
Modern gray building with three garage doors and a second garage entrance, surrounded by a gravel driveway and a grassy yard, with trees in the distance under an overcast sky.
Two black buildings with geometric paint designs on the exterior walls, situated on a gravel lot under an overcast sky.
A field with yellowish-green grass extending to the horizon, with a line of leafless trees in the background. Two large, dark-colored farm buildings are visible in the distance, under a cloudy sky.
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