Farm Animal & Horse Sanctuary on Vashon Island
Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary
A new sanctuary facility on Vashon Island houses and rehabilitates rescued horses and other equines.
Founded in 2013, Emerald City Pet Rescue’s mission is to rescue abused, neglected, and homeless animals from high-volume shelters around the country. When they sought to build a new sanctuary facility for injured and abandoned horses and other equines on a large, rural property on Vashon Island, Board & Vellum was delighted to help the cause.
With the health and safety of the animals as top priority, the goal was to create a haven consisting of a primary barn and the associated support spaces facilitating the day-to-day needs of the animals’ caretakers. Here, the rescued animals could recover and live out their lives with easy access to all the resources they need to heal and thrive.
Dubbed the Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary, the new facility opened in 2021, siting on nearly 50 acres. The sanctuary now houses over 40 horses, and over 30 other rescued farm animals, including cows, pigs, sheep, donkeys, llamas, and more.
The farm sanctuary’s primary building is a steel barn with a sleek, simple design, housing 42 horse stalls. Each interior stall has an adjacent outdoor pen, which the horses can access with ease. The barn also includes wash stalls, a feed room, a hay loft, laundry room, veterinary clinic, exercise arena, and restrooms for staff.
Among support structures are a fire shed, as well as a manure shed with a state-of-the-art aerated compost system that produces fertilizer for the rest of the compound.
Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary Main Barn
With 42 interior stalls, each with its own exterior pen — along with wash stalls, a feed room, a hay loft, laundry room, veterinary clinic, exercise arena, and restrooms for staff — the main barn of the Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary is a hub of activity at the animal sanctuary. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Photo by Christopher Palms.
Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary Main Barn
With 42 interior stalls, each with its own exterior pen — along with wash stalls, a feed room, a hay loft, laundry room, veterinary clinic, exercise arena, and restrooms for staff — the main barn of the Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary is a hub of activity at the animal sanctuary. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Photo by Christopher Palms.
Modern Ranch Vernacular
Though directly referencing the traditional vernacular architecture of agricultural facilities, the new barn is composed of a steel frame structure, clad metal walls, and a standing seam metal roof. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Photo by Christopher Palms.
Modern Ranch Vernacular
Though directly referencing the traditional vernacular architecture of agricultural facilities, the new barn is composed of a steel frame structure, clad metal walls, and a standing seam metal roof. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Photo by Christopher Palms.
Healthy outdoor spaces were equally as important as the interior spaces and ensuring seamless integration between the two was key. The outdoor pens and pastures would need to be clear of invasive species. We were also tasked with designing the new structures such that they could be built exclusively within all existing fence lines so as not to damage any existing pasture space — a challenge for a build of this scale.
To accommodate this mandate, we dismantled an existing riding barn to make room for the new primary structure. Materials from the riding barn were salvaged and repurposed in the main barn as a cost-effective solution that also reduced overall waste.
While designing for health and safety was our biggest concern, the beauty of the design needed to be on-par with functionality — it needed to feel clean, modern, and blend in with the natural beauty of Vashon Island. The result is a modern take on a traditional agricultural structure with a resilient design. The barn has a steel structural frame, clad in metal painted in vivid red, and topped with a white, standing seam roof. Traditional barn doors with cross buck patterns flag each opening, while the interior features local cedar planking and horse-themed details.
Sourcing high quality, durable, non-toxic materials at a high volume while staying within budget proved to be a challenge with the rapidly-shifting material and construction costs of the time. The original structure was designed with a wood frame, but this proved to be cost prohibitive. A design shift to use steel for the structure saved room in the budget and also ensured the safety of the animals and longevity in design.
Personal Exterior Pens
Each stall has its own exterior pen overlooking a central area. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Photo by Lina Gustafsson Moberg.
Personal Exterior Pens
Each stall has its own exterior pen overlooking a central area. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Photo by Lina Gustafsson Moberg.
Visiting the Residents
Sanctuary resident enjoys some scratches from a visiting member of the B&V Team.Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Photo by Lina Gustafsson Moberg.
Visiting the Residents
Sanctuary resident enjoys some scratches from a visiting member of the B&V Team.Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Photo by Lina Gustafsson Moberg.
Rescued Horse, Meditation
One of the farm’s rescues, a horse named Meditation, says hello to visitors. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Photo by Lina Gustafsson Moberg.
Rescued Horse, Meditation
One of the farm’s rescues, a horse named Meditation, says hello to visitors. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Photo by Lina Gustafsson Moberg.
Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary: Design Process
Renderings during the design process explored a design option utilizing heavy timber paired with the steel structural frame. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Rendering by B&V Team.
Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary: Design Process
Renderings during the design process explored a design option utilizing heavy timber paired with the steel structural frame. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Rendering by B&V Team.
Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary: Design Process
In a design iteration, large bands of skylights would flood the modern agricultural structure with natural light. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Rendering by B&V Team.
Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary: Design Process
In a design iteration, large bands of skylights would flood the modern agricultural structure with natural light. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Rendering by B&V Team.
Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary: Design Process
Nestled into the nearly 50-acre site, the proposed structure would be not only functional, but a beautiful complement to the island landscape. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Rendering by B&V Team.
Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary: Design Process
Nestled into the nearly 50-acre site, the proposed structure would be not only functional, but a beautiful complement to the island landscape. Ghost Owl Farm Sanctuary | Rendering by B&V Team.
Notes & Credits
This project was built by Ryan General Contractors.
Structural Engineering by MC2.
Civil Engineering by Red Barn Group.
Steel Fabrication by Nucor Building Systems.
Photography by B&V Team: Christopher Palms.
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