Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn

Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Clayton Korte

SAXUM VINEYARD EQUIPMENT BARN

Clayton Korte

ARCHITECTS
Clayton Korte

CLIENTS
Saxum Vineyards

CONTRACTOR
Rarig Construction

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
SSG Structural Engineers, Michael Parolini, Joe Klimczyk

MANUFACTURERS
AutoDesk, Chaos Group, Western States Metal Roofing, Adobe, Bock Lighting, Cooper Cambria, Crown Industrial, Lumos Solar, Trimble

SOLAR ENGINEERING
Power and Communications Engineering Inc.

DESIGN TEAM
Brian Korte, Derek Klepac, Brandon Tharp, Josh Nieves

LIGHTING DESIGN
Clayton & Little

SOLAR BASIS OF DESIGN
Pacific Energy Company

PHOTOGRAPHS
Casey Dunn

AREA
2340 ft²

YEAR
2018

LOCATION
Paso Robles, United States

CATEGORY
Winery, Barn, Commercial Architecture

Text description provided by architect.

Located in the Templeton Gap area of West Paso Robles, California this simple agricultural storage structure rests at the toes of the 50 acre James Berry Vineyard and the adjacent Saxum Winery sitting just over 800 feet away.

Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Clayton Korte
Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Casey Dunn

Designed as a modern pole barn, the reclaimed oil field drill stem pipe structure’s primary objectives are to provide an armature for a photovoltaic roof system that offsets more than 100% of power demands on the winery and to provide covered open-air storage for farming vehicles and their implements, workshop and maintenance space, and storage for livestock supplies.

Designed to harnesses the local climate to maximize cross ventilation, daylight and solar energy, the recycled oilfield pipe structure holds a laminated glass photovoltaic roof system that produces 1/3 more power than needed (roughly 87,000 kWh per year), eliminating the dependence of grid tied power for the winery and the vineyard irrigation wells through net metering.

Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Casey Dunn
Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Casey Dunn

Utilizing the laminated glass solar modules as both the actual primary roof and the renewable energy generator, offset any additional costs to construct an additional roof with separately mounted crystalline solar panels.

Minimalistic materials were selected to withstand the particularly dry climate, for regional availability, long-term durability and to minimize the need for maintenance.

The primary column and roof structure is constructed of welded Schedule 40 reclaimed drill stem pipe, in 2”, 3” and 3.5” diameters, left to weather naturally.

Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Casey Dunn
Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Casey Dunn
Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Casey Dunn

The lateral load resisting system, consists of diaphragm rod cross-bracing and vertical tension only cross-braced frames. Laminated glass solar modules, serving as both the solar system and the roofing, are supported on wood and WT steel flitch purlins welded to the pipe trusses.

An 8” diameter Schedule 40 half-pipe gutter is situated at the low end of the roof to accommodate future rainwater harvesting. 22 gauge Western Rib Cor-Ten corrugated perforated steel panels provide shading and filtered privacy to equipment bays.

Salvaged materials do more with less. Barn doors are clad in weathered steel off-cuts that were saved for reuse from the adjacent winery shoring walls, re-used in a "calico" pattern to fit the oddly shaped panels to tube steel framed door leafs.

Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Casey Dunn
Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Casey Dunn

Storage boxes are skinned with stained cedar siding with the interiors clad with unfinished rotary cut Douglas Fir plywood.

Foundations limit the amount of cast-in-place concrete by including pervious gravel paving for all open vehicle storage bays and livestock pens, maximizing the amount of rainwater that is filtered back through the soil into the watershed.

Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Casey Dunn
Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Casey Dunn

In addition, providing an engineered deepened earthwork program allowed the structural foundation requirements to be more efficient with their utilization of cast-in-place concrete.

Sitting sentry as the foremost structure present upon entering the vineyard lined property, the barn and its renewable energy system speak to the winery's commitment to sustainability and subservience to the natural landscape.

Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Clayton Korte
Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
© Casey Dunn

This structure is completely self-sufficient and operates independently from the energy grid, maximizing the structure’s survivability and resilience.


Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
Floor plan
Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
Site plan


Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
East elevation
Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
Elevation west
Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
South elevation
Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
North elevation


Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
Diagrams
Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
Diagrams
Saxum Vineyard Equipment Barn
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