Design principles

The new house has been designed with this vernacular clustered building form arrangement very much in mind. The breaking down of the functions of the proposed house into their individual functions, i.e. sleeping, living and utility, the new house follows the tradition of the vernacular clustered form of Irish building and through this, helps to reduce the overall scale of the house by the creation of a number of small elements which are integrally linked. The breaking down of the house forms allows for an intelligent response to the existing site contours and as such the levels of the proposed blocks respond to the existing levels and step down with the site levels. This results in a further breaking down of the mass of the house, and through this minimising its impact on the surrounding landscape and adjoining dwellings. .

Functional elements

The clustered forms of the buildings dictate circulation around the different elements of the building and define entrances to the site and to the buildings themselves. The aforementioned functions of the house are also defined by the breaking down of the house into its different elements, i.e. the creation of a small garage utility block to the north, the creation of simple accommodation blocks, one in which is found the sleeping accommodation and the other the main living accommodation for the house. As such the functions of the different elements of the house are defined by the forms which these functions take and the resulting collection of these forms makes up the overall clustered and cohesive whole.. 

Making best use of the site

Forms are informed and defined by the orientation of the site. The utility block is placed to the most north-easterly part of the site, as this is a non-habitable space and requires the minimum of heating and solar gain. The use of this low amenity end of the site is ideal for such a function. The sleeping block follows on this principle with glazing kept to a minimum on the north-east & north elevation to minimise heat loss through this cold elevation. As the building turns to face from south-east to the west, the elevation begins to open to allow for the maximum utilisation of natural light and solar heat gains and follows the daily passage of the sun and also allows the occupants of the house to enjoy the surrounding views. The main living space of the house is turned to be orientated to enjoy the passage of the sun from early sun on a winter’s morning to the full extent of the sunset on a summer’s night. This is further enhanced by the creation of external recreation areas, which wrap around the building in this area to again allow the enjoyment of the sun as it passes through the day. Glazing is maximised on these elevations. This is from a point of view of maximising natural daylight within the living areas of the house and also to maximise solar heat gains. Where this block turns north-easterly this wall is again solidified and the utility function of the living areas is located in this corner.

The material pallet which has been selected for the new house includes materials which are traditional to this area including: plaster and timber wall finishes; the use of slates to roof surfaces; the use of stone walls and paving to the garden and garden walls of the house.