Troop Barn

Kingsburg, Nova Scotia

2013 Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award (Adaptive Reuse/Rehabilitation)

One of two remaining octagonal barns in Nova Scotia, the Troop Barn was a fixture in Annapolis Royal since the 19th century. In 2008, on the brink of collapse, it was de-registered to make way for its demolition. To maintain its history beauty and legacy, it was carefully disassembled and transported across the province to Lunenburg County where it was reconstructed during the 13th annual Ghost Architectural Laboratory by 35 architects, architectural students, engineers and builders in June 2009. This adaptive use project has idealized a rural artifact and adapted it to new site and programming that integrates the original stable below a new venue for community gatherings. Among the interventions to make the barn building code compliant were lighting upgrades, structural bracing and a new entryway. New windows were also added to address the barn’s new use.

Owner/Client: Marilyn MacKay-Lyons
Architects: MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects