196: Markdale Farm

This building is intended to enact a formal extension of the agricultural typology present in the area generally, and on the property more specifically. The approach passes the soon-to-be foundational ruin of the original farmhouse before moving alongside the steel drive shed and turning at the face of the century-old barn. The building displays two attitudes towards the site and visitors alike. Initial arrival is one that looks down the 120 foot long corrugated steel wall that leans away as a shed. Three long windows are concealed by perforated steel sliding shutters. Entrance is via the carport, which is the leftover space of the extruded steel-on-wood-frame bar. Passing through an irregular pentagonal door, an interior of concrete and Hemlock is revealed. These two materials carry through the entirety of the house with relentless presence.

The long bar of the leaning shed of the building is in its moment of disarray at the Entrance and Great Room, with walls kinking and splaying, the roof dropping at its corner and ascending along its ridge. Moving along the length of the building, the floor drops into the ground, bringing the view across the landscape down to a level not typically enjoyed. This descent allows the second floor to emerge from the roof without appearing as a second story mass from the front.

At the rear of the building, the majority of the agricultural resemblance is lost as the warmth of the interior makes its presence known. The ridge of the Great Room extends from the building, outwards, upwards, with a red blade touching the sky.