A Modern Barn Raising
By Mark Olsen
The OC Fair & Event Center has a rich history, with roots dating back to the late 1800s. So when fair officials partnered with LPA to expand their central administration building, they shared their pride around that lineage — and designers got to work on ways to pay homage to it while looking ahead to the future.
“It was clear to us that the story began with OC Fair’s agrarian past and the humble barn — a key design element of which is the iconic gable roof,” says architect Kyle Griffin, citing OC Fair mainstays like Centennial Farm and the OC Promenade. Their peaked, timbered roofs with ample natural light thus inspired a bright, elevated gabled atrium in the expansion that feels both familiar and newly reimagined.
Cross-laminated timber (CLT) made the idea possible. Strong enough to span long distances without requiring a dense series of joists — visually echoing those rooftops of yore in the process — the material doubles as both structure and finish.
“You’re looking at the underside of the structural solution itself,” Griffin explains. “It’s visually warm, clean and efficient.” It’s also environmentally sound: Compared to steel or concrete, CLT offers a significant reduction to embodied carbon and material consumption.
Achieving such a simple aesthetic ultimately mandated a complex design solution. Mechanical and electrical engineers worked closely with interior designer Nicole Fennell to deliver uncluttered surfaces and preserve those long iconic lines. “We worked hard to strategically conceal conduit and ductwork while tightly mapping each wire and sprinkler head,” says architectural designer Justin Argomaniz. Together, they produced a minimalist design featuring blond timber awash in soft, natural uplighting, without any visual distractions — just as it would have looked in the old days.
The addition now serves as the campus’ “town square” — one that’s bright, inviting and tied unmistakably to the fair’s past, while keeping an eye firmly affixed on the horizon.
