The Slough Farm Foundation is a working farm and community educational institution overlooking the Edgartown Great Pond on Martha’s Vineyard. The 15,000 square foot barn, foundation offices, and farm residence & community rooms rest on a 40-acre campus that includes a silo, a greenhouse, an equipment barn, a cow barn, and surrounding vegetable gardens and paddocks, all designed by MTA.

The building houses both the working farm programs and a series of spaces for community events, including yoga and cooking workshops. Classroom and multipurpose spaces for farm education and community programs are separated from ,yet closely adjacent to, the animal stalls and other working spaces. A large courtyard on the public side of the building provides a setting for community movies, farmer’s markets, dance parties and yoga. Animal paddocks and exterior work areas on the opposite side lead out into the gardens. The residential areas of the project provide living quarters for the farmers and their families, as well as housing for artists in the farm’s residency program. This spectrum of program is spatially interwoven, giving strictly functional farm spaces, such as the stalls, a playful and pedagogical character.

Constructed from reclaimed heavy timber, the building is a contemporary interpretation of the traditional Vineyard farmhouse vernacular. From the road, the gabled forms and shingles present the appearance of a classic New England farmhouse. At the interior courtyard, expansive windows, clean lines, and generous openings create seamless connections between interiorand exterior.

With a greenhouse operating year-round, Slough Farm supports agricultural programs and research, acting to implement environmental improvements to farming, soil, ponds, estuaries and heritage breeds.

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