- AIA Rhode Island Honor & Design Award, Citation, Commercial Architecture, 2022
The historic Wright Locke Farm is a non-profit working farm that hosts farm-based educational programs and community events. It also features hiking trails, ponds, wetlands, and hilltop glades, all free for the public to enjoy.
The farmstead has been continually operating since 1628 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A generous donor gifted the land adjacent to the farmstead to the Wright-Locke Conservancy, expanding their property to 20 acres and giving them ample space to build a new facility. Union was hired to design this new education and program Center, called “The All-Seasons Barn.”
The design approach was to use a simple materials palette balancing what might be found in a typical historic barn with modern-day requirements and amenities. Heavy timber and a v-grooved wood ceiling provide this character and serve not only aesthetic purposes but also keep carbon sequestration within sight.
The All-Seasons Barn can accommodate gatherings of up to 100 people, features a classroom for children, and has a multi-purpose demonstration kitchen.
