The Barn at Fallingwater

Photo credit: Nic Lehoux

Overview

• Location: Mill Run, PA
• Building type(s): Commercial office, Interpretive Center
• Renovation
• 13,000 ft2 (1,210 m2)
• Project scope: 2-story building
• Rural setting
• Completed December 2004
• Rating: U.S. Green Building Council LEED-NC, v.2/v.2.1--Level: Silver (33 points)

The Barn at Fallingwater is an adaptive reuse of a 19th century heavy-timber barn and its 20th century addition, framed in dimension lumber. The 19th century structure is a bank barn, built into the side of a hill so that two levels can be accessed directly from grade level. It serves as an interpretive portal for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy's 5,000-acre Bear Run nature reserve, immediately adjacent to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater. Beyond meeting the Conservancy's need for a program center and administrative office space, the Barn provides a living reminder of a largely vanished agrarian way of life in Western Pennsylvania. It manifests the Conservancy's mission statement: "Saving the places we care about by connecting people to the natural world."

This project was chosen as an AIA Committee on the Environment Green Project for 2005. It was submitted by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Additional project team members are listed on the "Process" screen.

Environmental Aspects

From its inception, the design was driven by the Conservancy's desire to vividly articulate the lessons of good stewardship of both the natural environment and the artifacts of the cultural landscape. The renovation focused on preserving those features that convey its cultural heritage while adapting the structure for a new function.

Development was limited to open and previously disturbed areas. All landscape plantings are native to the locale, and runoff from an existing parking lot is filtered through bioswales. A large bat house was built for the colony of brown bats displaced by renovation of the upper barn.

The grand upper level of the original bank barn is used as a seasonal area for exhibits, lectures, and other social functions. The one-story 20th century addition now houses a multipurpose exhibit, conference, and distance-learning area. Existing glazed-block walls, glass-block windows, and site-built roof trusses are exposed. Sunflower-seed composite panels, sound-absorptive straw panels, and salvaged fir complement the palette of original materials while underscoring the structure's connection to farming.

A zero-discharge wastewater reclamation system, graywater flushing, and low-flow fixtures reduce potable water use. A ground-source heat-pump system, daylighting, and electric light sensors minimize energy use.

Owner & Occupancy

• Owned and occupied by The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Corporation, nonprofit
• Typically occupied by 12 people, 40 hours per person per week; and 100 visitors per week, 4 hours per visitor per week

Building Programs

Keywords

Integrated team, Design charrette, Green framework, Green specifications, Commissioning, Performance measurement and verification, Operations and maintenance, Open space preservation, Wildlife habitat, Indigenous vegetation, Stormwater management, Efficient fixtures and appliances, Drought-tolerant landscaping, Wastewater treatment, Insulation levels, Glazing, HVAC, Lighting control and daylight harvesting, Efficient lighting, Adaptable design, Durability, Benign materials, Salvaged materials, Recycled materials, Local materials, Certified wood, C&D waste management, Occupant recycling, Connection to outdoors, Daylighting, Natural ventilation, Low-emitting materials, Indoor air quality monitoring

next topic: Process

Our thanks to the ENERGY STAR program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and to the U.S. Department of Energy, and to BuildingGreen, Inc. for hosting the submission and judging forms.

For more information about the AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects, contact AIA/COTE. For help on how to use this Web site, contact .