The old wooden horse barn on the grounds of Bastoni Vineyards in Santa Rosa, Calif., had outlived its usefulness.
“It was really cool looking, but it certainly wasn’t meeting our needs at all,” says Russ Messana, owner of the 40-acre Sonoma County vineyard. “We no longer have horses, so I was using it to store the nets for the grapevines and a log splitter. And I couldn’t use it for much of anything else.”
So Messana decided to replace the 70-year-old structure with a more functional, efficient and secure version. A custom metal building from Star Building Systems enabled him to achieve a similar barn aesthetic with the clear span and height requirement he required.
“You can do so many different things with steel buildings,” says Greg Tonks, owner of The Steel Building Guys, the Star builder that constructed the structure. “Erection is a lot more economical than with conventional buildings. The siding lasts longer, the roof lasts longer, you don’t have to paint it and the potential finishes are a lot more diverse.”
The 2,100-sf structure features a 700-sf second-level mezzanine with a plywood floor. That’s where Messana stores the nets that protect his zinfandel grapes from birds and other predators.
“I have more room in the mezzanine now than I had in the original barn,” Messana says. “I have definitely gained a lot more usable space.”
Insulated sliding barn doors on three walls and an upper sliding barn door maximize the building’s functionality, while the fully-functional louvered cupolas and weathervane atop the building add authenticity to the structure.
White roof panels are accented by white wood trim around the windows and barn doors, and a 2-inch by 12-inch accent band around the building breaks up the height of the panels.
“From a distance, it looks like an old-style barn,” Messana says. But it functions like a modern, efficient maintenance and storage facility.
The new building also serves as an ideal venue for hosting groups. Many of the winemakers that purchase grapes from Bastoni have started bringing their customers to the building for wine tasting and to meet Messana.
“A lot of people who buy wines like to know the history and story behind the wine, and to meet the winemaker,” Messana says. “That builds customer loyalty.”
The structure also serves as a meeting place for the local Model A car club and has attracted interest from other local businesses eager to get ideas for their own buildings.
“I have gotten so many positive comments on the barn, its location and view over the vineyard that we’re planning to open it up to rent for weddings, birthdays and other community events,” Messana says.
Highly flexible, the building can be adapted to accommodate a caterer, band, tables and chairs, and groups of up to 400 people.
Messana says his new building provides him with a much cleaner, safer and secure environment than the previous barn.
“The maintenance is virtually zero when compared to the old barn, which needed to be painted and exterminated regularly,” he says. “Because of the positive experience I’ve had, I’m now planning to replace another barn with a metal building.”
Owner: Russ and Martha Messana
Star builder and general contractor: The Steel Building Guys
Wall panels: PBR
Roof panels: PBR
Related Stories
| Apr 26, 2013
Decaying city: Exhibit demonstrates the fragility of the man-made world
Theater set designer Johanna Mårtensson built a model cityscape out of bread only to watch it decay.
| Apr 25, 2013
SmithGroupJJR hires Lise Newman as Workplace Studio Leader in Detroit
SmithGroupJJR, one of the nation's largest architecture, engineering and planning firms, has hired architect Lise Newman, AIA, as Workplace Studio leader at its Detroit, Mich. office.
| Apr 25, 2013
Colorado State University, DLR Group team to study 12 high-performance schools
DLR Group and the Institute for the Built Environment at Colorado State University have collaborated on a research project to evaluate the effect of green school design on occupants and long-term building performance.
| Apr 24, 2013
More positive momentum for Architecture Billings Index
All regions and building sectors continue to report positive business conditions
| Apr 24, 2013
North Carolina bill would ban green rating systems that put state lumber industry at disadvantage
North Carolina lawmakers have introduced state legislation that would restrict the use of national green building rating programs, including LEED, on public projects.
| Apr 24, 2013
Los Angeles may add cool roofs to its building code
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants cool roofs added to the city’s building code. He is also asking the Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to create incentives that make it financially attractive for homeowners to install cool roofs.
| Apr 23, 2013
Building material innovation: Concrete cloth simplifies difficult pours
Milliken recently debuted a flexible fabric that allows for concrete installations on slopes, in water, and in other hard to reach places—without the need for molds or mixing.
| Apr 23, 2013
Architects to MoMA: Don't destroy Williams/Tsien project
Richard Meier, Thom Mayne, Steven Holl, Hugh Hardy and Robert A.M. Stern are among the prominent architects who on Monday called for the Museum of Modern Art to reconsider its decision to demolish the former home of the American Folk Art Museum.
| Apr 22, 2013
Top 10 green building projects for 2013 [slideshow]
The AIA's Committee on the Environment selected its top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment.
