Round Barn Restoration

The Inn at the Round Barn commissioned The Burley Partnership to restore and adapt this historic structure in Waitsfield, VT. The architects' goal was to preserve as much of the original building fabric as possible, including the round silo at the center of the barn. The silo was an essential structural and operational feature of this type of dairy barn. In its time, the round barn was a model of dairy-science efficiency.

Planned for future use for art shows, community meetings, concerts, and receptions the barn needed the protection of a sprinkler system and the sprinkler system needed an ample water supply. That requirement was met by incorporating a lap pool at the lowest basement level. In order to keep the silo foundation intact, the pool extends beyond the outer circle into a sun-filled greenhouse structure that emulates an earlier milk house addition.

This project has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine.

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