This new eight-sided horse barn is part of an on-going estate project in the hills south of Santa Rosa, which includes a new custom home, a new groom’s quarters, the horse barn and various other horse facilities. Construction of the groom’s house is complete and design and permitting are underway on the main home.

The estate lies on a ridge overlooking the wide Santa Rosa Plain. The clients are European, and want the house to look as if it were added to over time, rising and falling with the site. The interior will feature rustic terracotta and stone floors, and handmade iron light fixtures from New Mexico; exterior we are using doors and windows from France, and beautiful rock facing.

Designing a building without straight walls is a challenge; we faced the challenge by designing entirely in a three-dimensional computer model. Toward the end of the design phase we built a site and building model as well. The different ways of looking at the project help design the building better, as well as help the client understand the building, and lead to a better construction process.