A Series of Barns

An idea for adaptive reuse was conceived when the design team was tasked to design a developer’s head office and gallery.

The idea was to turn a row of abandoned half-built shop offices into a barn-like structures where it attempts to blend into its surrounding landscape. The project is located near to the coast of the Johor straits just across Singapore. The journey leading to the site is a peaceful one, via a relatively small meandering road blessed with scenic country views.

As one gets to the last turn, the ‘barns’ appear humbly into view. It orientates full length towards the seaside, facing the Straits of Johor. Eight sets of gable roof modules sit on the old structures, each on two grids of the 3-storey shops. Of the eight barns, one of them protrudes moderately from the rest, serving as an entry and porte cochere.