#Industry News
Bird-friendly Invisible Barn camouflages itself against trees
You may have seen montages of this structure that camouflages itself against a forest, but the designers at New York-based studio stpmj have now constructed the actual building, which looks as impressive as the renders.
The Invisible Barn, located in the middle of a grove, projects landscape onto its mirror-finished facade. This architectural folly, as the architects call it, assimilates perfectly into the natural surroundings and its seasonal changes, but remains bird-friendly.
The structure is surrounded by a dozen trees of similar size and equal spacing, which made it easier for the building to blend into the environment. Due to this similarity of size and placement, the appearance of the grove seems unchanged by the presence of architecture.
The reflective facade is made of aluminized polyester film which has more than 90 percent UV reflectivity in the range of 200-400nm wavelength. It may not be perceivable by the human eye, but its special material is visible to birds and prevents them from hitting the structure.
The structure is configured as a skinny assemblage of rectangular and triangular mirror-like surfaces mounted onto a wooden substructure. Openings of various sizes and depths look like floating windows and doors and accentuate the surrounding landscape. Visitors can use these openings to get acquainted with the structure and the visual trickery at play, and understand the differences between the real and the mirrored landscape. Built-in benches allow visitors to relax and take their time to observe the building and enjoy the framed views.
