House at Bogwest

This house explores a response to a tradition of the built object in the Irish landscape evident in the classic middle size houses of the area. It seeks to balance the metaphysical aspects of light, weight and timelessness with the local art of building and craftsmanship. The house is on the site of a ruined house and farmyard. The site is accessed off a laneway with the public road to the south. The old stonewalls were refurbished and extended to make a new south-facing walled orchard and an entrance courtyard. The house is positioned within these walls carefully negotiating levels, threshold, privacy and orientation.

Private rooms are arranged at ground floor level to establish intimate relationships to the gardens while deep linings ensure spatial seclusion. The first floor living areas are above the datum of walls and enjoy views of the wider landscape. A free spanning roof structure is split in four parts, two of which rise to an oculus, allowing zenithal light deep into the plan. Techniques of lining and poché embed services and storage for internal spatial clarity. Deep window frames make intimate spaces and ensure unimpeded views over the terraces, gardens and landscape. Furniture and lighting scale the space for the intimacies of domestic life.

The structure is an expressed concrete frame infilled with external walls, window joinery or fitted furniture. Sustainable techniques are at the core of the project. The courtyards establish microclimates in this exposed location. The villa box form has a good ratio of external wall to floor area. A 3- leaf cavity wall construction seperates the wet and insulation zones to improve performance. Heating is provided by wood stove and ground source heating. The reservoir of hot air under the rooflight is redistributed with heat exchange technology.