UC SANTA CRUZ HAY BARN 

Perched on a shelf at the entrance to UC Santa Cruz, the Hay Barn greets visitors on their way to central campus, as they pass through the former ranch headquarters of the Cowell Lime Works. The heavy timber, mortise-and-tenon frame is a rare example of the timber frame tradition on the west coast; the 1860’s building is a contributor to a National Register Historic District. The challenge was to transform the red-tagged structure into usable program space, to balance new program requirements and rigorous sustainability goals while preserving the essence and sense of space of the historically significant barn. As home to one of the university’s most progressive programs - the Center for Agroecology - the Hay Barn is both a symbol of the campus’ origins and a reassertion of its commitment to innovation.

Photography credit: Cesar Rubio