Barns are architecture for storage. They store physical objects such as hay, animals, tractors and have embodied cultural energy. Embodied cultural energy is the total energy a building requires/acquires from its construction (ex. Amish barn house raisings), its stewards (ex. some barns have been around for generations), and what it stores (ex. animals, hay, tractors). By studying barns and their embodied cultural energy, we can learn about the culture and history of the people and places that these barns are sited in. Documenting embodied cultural energy can tell untold stories and prevent lost cultural knowledge. In architecture, understanding embodied cultural energy can be a tool for architects to design sustainably for a place, people, culture, and society.
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