A Home for Horses
A HOME FOR HORSES
Rhotenberry Wellen Architects
ARCHITCTSD
Rhotenberry Wellen Architects
SIZE
10,000 sqft - 25,000 sqft
BUDGET
Undisclosed
YEAR
2021
LOCATION
Midland, TX, United States
TYPE
Hospitality + Sport › Sports Center
A client, whose childhood was filled with memories of her family’s polo activities, requested a barn for her family’s continued activity in the sport.
The project includes 20 horse stalls housed in an open-air portion of the structure.
Rooted in West Texas, the building’s vernacular pays homage to common materials employed throughout the region. The exterior is clad in weathering steel with stalls of heavy cedar.
The steel-clad entry walls serve as a makeshift chalkboard, displaying team preparations and lists of horses to be ridden during upcoming chukkers.
The center aisle serves as pre-chukker preparation area for tacking and stagging teams of horses.
Interior spaces include a lounge area, tack room, kitchen, and washroom. The interior material pallet consists of concrete floors, blackened steel, board formed concrete fireplace, and Douglas fir.
Interior spaces are used primarily for rest and relaxation following matches, also allowing for small gatherings to take place.
Site elements include a shaded patio area, covered with cedar fence stays, board formed concrete site walls and fireplace, and decomposed granite pathways.
Opening to the polo fields to the south, the patio and porch provide locations for viewers to watch matches while finding relief from the ever-present West Texas sun.
