This thesis explores the construction and architectural qualities of historic bank barns found in Chester county Pennsylvania. Analyzing the timber joints and adapting their characteristics for modern programmatic needs. It aims to extend the role of the heavy timber frame and reintroduce the methods of construction found in these historic handcrafted structures. Using the programmatic lens of a public library to isolate the distinct qualities of a barn including heavy and light, cellular and open, and the bent.
The site of this Library is Kennett Square Pennsylvania, a rapidly expanding town in Chester county. While the town has made efforts to preserve the historic structures that surround it, the new construction has turned its back to these historic methods. Located in the center of downtown, this proposal would replace the existing inadequate public library. The program of a library offers the opportunity to educate the public and revitalize interest in timber structures. / Master of Architecture / This project analyzes the design of Pennsylvania bank barns and applies those architectural themes and details to the program of a Library. The bank barn is a significant agricultural structure that is uniquely linked to Pennsylvania's architectural history. Many of the building techniques and details of these barns haven't been utilized since advances in building technologies made them obsolete. Although, the structures that have been preserved continue to peak the interest of the public and the qualities continue to be emulated in residential projects.
This thesis brings together the design of a bank barn and the program of a library located in Kennett Square Pennsylvania. The project experiments with extracting layouts and details from one type of structure and applying them to a completely different type of building. Experimenting with the qualities found in different building typologies could offer an opportunity to reinvent structures whose designs have remained stagnant.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/103942 |
| Date | 21 June 2021 |
| Creators | Kretzing, Lucas James |
| Contributors | Architecture, Jones, James R., Dunay, Robert J., Dugas, David |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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