Architecture

Dutch architects build beautiful barn out of oak trees headed for the scrapheap

Dutch architects build beautiful barn out of oak trees headed for the scrapheap
The Sixteen Oak Barn is made from largely reclaimed oak trees
The Sixteen Oak Barn is made from largely reclaimed oak trees
View 15 Images
Deteriorating, century-old oak trees destined for the scrapheap have been worked into a lovely barn in the Netherlands
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Deteriorating, century-old oak trees destined for the scrapheap have been worked into a lovely barn in the Netherlands
The Sixteen Oak Barn is made from largely reclaimed oak trees
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The Sixteen Oak Barn is made from largely reclaimed oak trees
Inside the Sixteen Oak Barn
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Inside the Sixteen Oak Barn
Inside the Sixteen Oak Barn
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Inside the Sixteen Oak Barn
The Sixteen Oak Barn is made from largely reclaimed oak trees
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The Sixteen Oak Barn is made from largely reclaimed oak trees
Deteriorating, century-old oak trees destined for the scrapheap have been worked into a lovely barn in the Netherlands
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Deteriorating, century-old oak trees destined for the scrapheap have been worked into a lovely barn in the Netherlands
Inside the Sixteen Oak Barn
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Inside the Sixteen Oak Barn
Storage space inside the Sixteen Oak Barn
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Storage space inside the Sixteen Oak Barn
Deteriorating, century-old oak trees destined for the scrapheap have been and worked into a lovely barn in the Netherlands
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Deteriorating, century-old oak trees destined for the scrapheap have been and worked into a lovely barn in the Netherlands
Old oak trees have been used to create a multipurpose workspace in the Netherlands
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Old oak trees have been used to create a multipurpose workspace in the Netherlands
Old oak trees have been used to create a multipurpose workspace in the Netherlands
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Old oak trees have been used to create a multipurpose workspace in the Netherlands
The Sixteen Oak Barn is made from largely reclaimed oak trees
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The Sixteen Oak Barn is made from largely reclaimed oak trees
Completed in January this year, the barn is intended to serve as a storage room, conference room, office and workshop
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Completed in January this year, the barn is intended to serve as a storage room, conference room, office and workshop
Deteriorating, century-old oak trees destined for the scrapheap have been worked into a lovely barn in the Netherlands
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Deteriorating, century-old oak trees destined for the scrapheap have been worked into a lovely barn in the Netherlands
Old oak trees have been used to create a multipurpose workspace in the Netherlands
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Old oak trees have been used to create a multipurpose workspace in the Netherlands
View gallery - 15 images

Deteriorating, century-old oak trees destined for the scrapheap have been turned into a lovely barn in the Netherlands. Dutch architects at Hilberink Bosch Architecten put the structure together at their farm south of Amsterdam, using traditional building techniques and materials collected from the area.

The old oak trees had come to be in such poor condition that they needed to be cleared, and selling them off to a paper factory was the obvious option. But architects Annemariken Hilberink and Geert Bosch decided to get creative instead.

Completed in January this year, the barn is intended to serve as a storage room, conference room, office and workshop
Completed in January this year, the barn is intended to serve as a storage room, conference room, office and workshop

They sourced some additional oak trunks from a nearby estate and found themselves with enough lumber to build an asymmetrical multipurpose workspace. The timber was prepared onsite with a mobile saw mill, cut into trusses and beams for the supports, with short pieces of oak cleaved into shingles for the roof.

According to the architects, the toughness of the untreated oak will see the roof last for years, while the sturdiest sections from the trees' cores were sawn into planks for the facade.

The Sixteen Oak Barn is made from largely reclaimed oak trees
The Sixteen Oak Barn is made from largely reclaimed oak trees

The heavy use of wood is mixed and matched with concrete benching inside. There is also an open garage space beneath the steeply gabled roof, and the leftover lumber has been chopped up for firewood and stashed away under under the alcove.

Completed in January this year, the space intended to serve as a storage room, conference room, office and workshop. Have look around in the gallery.

Source: Hilberink Bosch Architecten 1, 2 (PDF, in Dutch)

View gallery - 15 images
2 comments
2 comments
Douglas Bennett Rogers
I just had a 62 year old oak tree taken out for $7500. It went for mulch. There was probably 8000 lb. of good lumber in it. One side was eaten through so it had to go.
robertmudry
This "barn" looks way better than my apartment!!