light, shadow, and texture animate j_spy’s wood and brick barn in new york’s white lake
the shadow barn, built over 15 years, reinterprets traditional barn architecture through a modern lens.
j_spy reinterprets the traditional barn in new york
An exploration of light, shadow, and texture, J_spy’s Shadow Barn reinterprets traditional barn architecture through a modern lens. The work is positioned amid the greenery of New York’s White Lake, crafted over 15 months using local materials — rough sawn Hemlock and quarried stone — chosen for their raw expressions and interaction with the landscape.
Hemlock is arranged in a rectangular form with deliberate gaps between each board allowing beams of light to filter in and cast intricate shadows that shift with the sun. Complementing the wooden volumes as a natural transition is a stone wall, quarried just 10 miles from the site. The wall ensures privacy by masking exterior views and providing a sense of solidity and permanence, grounding the structure within its natural setting and encouraging introspection within the space.
an interplay of light and shade
The juxtaposition of materials in Shadow Barn evokes traditional barns, a point of fascination for the team at J_spy who questioned why these structures are often painted red. Through research, the NYC-based studio discovered that farmers historically mixed linseed oil with rust to create this durable finish – a technique which they employed, connecting the tradition with their contemporary interpretation.
Designers Jason Shannon and Paola Yanez describe that their overarching philosophy centers on spatial experiences, with an emphasis on light, materiality, and volume. In their words, their work aims to ‘find simple, pure forms’ that respond to the program and site conditions, while their modernist approach seeks to create immersive environments rooted in simplicity.
project info:
name: Shadow Barn
architect: J_spy | @j_spy_arch
design team: Jason Shannon, Paola Yanez
location: New York
designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
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