Yew Dell Gardens Visitor Center Rehabilitation Project by De Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop

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Located within the historic property of the Garden Conservancy, architecture firm De Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop have completed the rehabilitation of an existing tobacco barn with a program including a reception area, information and tickets sales, gift shop, plant sale area, group tour meeting zone, internet sales office, and storage. Dubbed The Yew Dell Gardens Visitor Center, the architecture project was awarded a 2010 AIA Kentucky Honor Award.

Preserving the exterior iconic image of the tobacco barn structure, the new facility is designed as a ‘building-within-a-building’. For economy and energy efficiency, the project utilizes the shell of the existing barn as an independent shade structure, leaving it essentially unaltered with the exception of minor framing stabilization. Working with existing structural bay modules, new conditioned interior spaces are consolidated to one side of the barn interior while unconditioned spaces are designed as covered flexible-use areas.

During low-humidity spring & fall seasons, frameless glass doors can be left open to merge both halves of the barn. Following state historic preservation guidelines, new construction is clearly differentiated from the existing structure through light-colored interior wood plank surfaces and material contrasts.

The use of light – both natural & artificial – is a key design element that transforms the facility throughout the day, affecting the transparency and visibility of the various programmatic components while amplifying the rustic characteristics of the existing tobacco barn. Acting as either a mirror or a transparent boundary depending on the viewing angle, tempered glass walls reflect & refract sunlight, views, and outer barn walls, emphasizing a sense of spaciousness while allowing the original barn to visually register within interior spaces. During the evening, the facility becomes a glowing lantern within the gardens, with the outer barn shell expressed though interior light filtering through gaps between the wood siding.

Architects: De Leon & Primmer Architecture Workshop
Location: Crestwood, Kentucky, USA
Project Area: 1,842 sqf
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Roberto de Leon

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