Steve Schulte, Kim Adams, Danny George and Sean Porter accept the Signatures of Loudoun Design Excellence Pace-Setters award for The Barn at Brambleton.
The inspiration behind the award-winning Barn at Brambleton in Ashburn, VA is the Loveless Porter-designed Sweeney Barn, in Manassas, VA. Brambleton Group’s Danny George appreciated that the architectural team behind that renovation maintained the barn’s rustic roots while modernizing key aesthetic details. Wanting the same for his barn-to-event-center project, but on an even larger scale, Danny sought out Loveless Porter.
Danny is a contractor himself, and no stranger to similar projects. However, he explained that renovations of this magnitude have a lot of moving parts, and that managing these is where Loveless Porter Architects truly stepped up. A large historic renovation project like this requires oversight from zoning boards and comes with an endless amount of building code minutiae to track. Danny said Loveless Porter’s project lead was “terrific at keeping the parts moving” and that the firm was responsive at all times of day, serving as a liaison between the construction team and the city.
“Loveless Porter did a great job with all the technical aspects,” said Danny. “The firm was incredibly responsive throughout the construction process.” He added that when he and his team proposed alterations along the way, Loveless Porter was more than happy to work those adjustments into the plans.
The end result of this collaborative effort is an event space that respects the original design of the 1940s dairy barn architecture, while bringing structural focal points into the 21st Century. Interior spaces with modern conveniences include gathering halls, offices, suites, and a commercial kitchen. Meanwhile, nods to the structure’s rural roots include custom-hewn wood trusses framing soaring ceilings and expansive windows connect the barn to the surrounding landscape.
“I am very happy with how the whole thing turned out,” said Danny. “Loveless Porter brings an excellent focal point to anyone looking to work with them.”