Home for a young family
The project is a new home for a young family in Ireland, Co Laois. Set within a densely wooded context, the low horizontal roof profile establishes a deliberate counterpoint to the verticality of the surrounding trees.
The orthogonal plan is positioned in relation to the cardinal directions, it has deep brick facades to frame views, offer prospect, refuge, silence and light. Recessed opening provide shading to the interior during the summer and covered external space during rainfall.
The plan reinforces the distinctions of servant and served, the principle living spaces occupy the larger, more open portions of the composition, sleeping areas are arranged as a series of cellular spaces with controlled light and views, a middle core of servant spaces holds services, plant and storage. Movement through the plan is seen as a spatial sequence between enclosure , compression and release.
Tall brick columns extend over existing hedgerows to create markers in the landscape and act as a counterpoint to the horizontal mass of brick walls. The expansive glazing acts to soften and dematerialise the object. Brick garden walls pinwheel from the dwelling to hold gardens and courtyards.
