• Tweet ^[1]
• Share on Tumblr ^[2]
• Email ^[3]

^[4]

Everyone knows that horses are big fans of the earth – don’t they deserve sustainable housing too? Luckily, Blackburn Architects ^[5], an award-winning design firm, has catered their services to our equine friends and recently introduced a line of sustainable horse barns called Blackburn greenbarns™ ^[6]. Starting with four pre-designed models, these barns maximize light ^[7] and ventilation through passive principles of design and specify eco-friendly, low-VOC materials and finishes. Also offered are optional systems such as solar panels ^[8] and rainwater harvesting to take Blackburn greenbarns™ to the next level in sustainability.

According to the 2008 Agricultural Census, the number of farms in the U.S. are estimated at 2.2 million. While the US Green Building Council ^[10] currently does not have a LEED ^[11] classification for agricultural buildings, Blackburn greenbarns™ designer, John Blackburn, believes that barns are untapped resources with an enormous potential to positively impact the environment.

“Assume every farm or ranch has two or three barns or out-structures,” Blackburn explains. “Imagine how much energy you could generate – not just save, but actually produce – if you equipped one-half of those millions of roofs with active solar panels. The energy could be sold back to the gird or stored and used on the properties. This is a revolution waiting to happen.”

+ Blackburn greenbarns ^[6]