This project was developed with respect to real clients living on a former farm in Ulster Park, a town within the peaceful Hudson Valley. The couple had recently bought the plot of land, which they call “HomeForest,” and needed a program for their two barns and silo in order to draw visitors of the Hudson Valley area to the secluded site. My designs focused on the silo, however, the barns were a well-integrated part of the site’s programming. Throughout the design process, I video chatted with the client to receive feedback and insights in order to finalize my design, which was modeled in Revit.
I began with a market analysis of the Hudson Valley and found that the area is particularly known for its agritourism, art, history, and nature. It is a quick one and a half hour drive from the city, hence the popularity of this getaway spot amongst city dwellers, particularly millennials. Given the user need for relaxation and escape from a busy lifestyle, I proposed “Silo Yoga,” which allows visitors to embrace their surroundings and find peace of mind.
I conducted a user persona analysis of the clients, Weiwei and Yan, as well as two city dwellers who match the majority of Hudson Valley visitors. With this in mind, I approached the details of the programming. I proposed a parking lot on the site for easy customer access as well as walking paths to integrate the design into the natural surroundings.
I then conducted a more specific market analysis of yoga studios in the area. There were many within close proximity to the site, however, they were within busy towns and did not embrace the natural environment. For my design, I capitalized on the missing alternative to traditional Hudson Valley yoga.
I decided to propose private/small group classes in the silo due to its limited space. The smaller barn would be a juice bar/cafe, allowing users to refuel and relax after taking a class. Finally, the larger barn would host larger goat yoga sessions. Goat yoga is well known for its de-stressing benefits and fun experience, and given that HomeForest is a farm, what better way to integrate yoga and the site?
The window treatment gradates from just a glassed door to a fully glassed third floor, which coincides with the activities on each floor. The first floor has a cozy, darker atmosphere for hot yoga. The second floor has a pattern of windows on one half of the yoga, letting in plenty of natural light to help motivate power yoga classes. Lastly, the third floor is fully glassed to allow natural light and bring the outdoors in as the user meditates. There is a NanaWall system that opens up to the balcony to fully unite the outdoors and the indoors.
The flooring, ceiling, and built-ins all use bamboo to maximize sustainability and easy maintenance. The first and second floor have customized storage systems that mirror the geometry of the smaller window panes of the second floor. I also designed a circular seating system on the third floor to encourage the user to look out.