1. Greenhouse, Studio and Archive Building from approach
2. Greenhouse, Studio and Archive Building from pond
3. Archive Building, Studio and Greenhouse arrival
5. Archive Building from field
6. Archive Building and Studio relationship
7. Archive Building long elevation
8. Archive Building block detail and reflection of Catskills
9. 13-foot custom steel and galvanized metal door at Archive Building
10. Archive Building interior on axis with mountain peak
11. Archive Building interior with 13-foot door
12. Studio courtyard side on axis
13. Studio courtyard side oblique
14. 14-foot Studio doors with artist Peter Nadin for scale
16. Space between Studio and Greenhouse with Catskills beyond
18. Studio interior and light from 14-foot doors
19. Studio axis with Catskills
20. Hemlock wood scissor truss structure
22. Greenhouse structure detail
23. Meditation Tower near Studio complex
25. Pottery studio at Main House
26. Old Field Farm sign at equipment shed and garage
28. Goat House and Farm Office
30. Path between Main House and Studio complex
33. The design of the 160-acre site is a "campus" for both farming and creating art. Originally settled in 1784, it is divided into three areas, connected by a series of paths and drives.
34. The site plan of the Studio compound is organized for the best light and views. The Archive Building defines an entry courtyard on the forest side structures.
35. Each building is inspired by local farm vernacular, with basic elements and materials, but uniquely combines them so that all three structures are distinct and original.
Cornwallville, NY
"Old Field Farm" is a 160-acre working farm, originally from the 1790s, on one of the highest sites near the Catskills. The project includes a master plan for an artist's studio, large greenhouse, farm manager's office, farm staff apartments, gathering space, machine stalls, hay storage, pig pens, goat houses, chicken coops, bee houses and outdoor farming space. An artist's studio/barn and greenhouse are sited like two arms to create a welcoming gesture upon approach. They define the "animal courtyard" which includes a retention pond, used to grow kemp and bamboo for making paper for art. All parts of the project were designed to be built by local labor or made from pre-fabricated components.
The studio is a scissor-truss structure made of wood from the site, milled locally and assembled by local craftsmen, and the site then reforested. The fourteen-foot mahogany sliding doors were made by local Amish carpenters. There is a walk-in chamber in the barn for curing ham from the pigs on the farm. The greenhouse, made from a kit of parts, has motorized louvers for ventilation and is geo-thermally heated. Like the artist himself, Peter Nadin, the site plan exudes a poetry and connection to the landscape. His work embodies the site by using materials from the farm, including Lindenberries, beeswax, wool from Kashmir goats, walnut paint and hand-made paper.
<p>Photography: Laurie Lambrecht,</p>