year 3: semester 1[primary school]

TheThe project for a primary school is situated on the fringes of the town of Youghal in County Cork. The prescribed site is a generic site which occurs in many Irish towns. The site is a central green area surrounded by houses in a suburban housing estate. The brief consisted of classrooms, library, administraon accommodaon, general purpose hall and the provision of space for services.TheThe concept of the design is one of visual and physical permeabil-ity. As the school was to occupy the full area of the green space, it was felt that the impact of the building on the surrounding context should be reduced by making the building mass visually perme-able. The relaonship between solid and void is expressed in the building envelope. Circulaon within the school is largely external placing a greater emphasis on the outdoor space for integraon within the curriculum.

year 3: semester 2 [library]

ThisThis project for a library in the town of Youghal in County Cork occurs on a post-industrial site on the outskirts of the town. Once a substanal texle fac-tory, the building currently lies idle. The current building fabric consists of a frame structure typical of a 1970s manu-facturing environment. facturing environment.

The concept for the library draws from the building’s previous use as a texle factory. The exisng structure is largely retained and ulised as a three dimen-sional canvas into which the brief is ac-commodated. Reminiscent of previous acvies on the site, the various func-onsons are interwoven into the exisng structure. The vastness of the site poses a significant challenge to the conven-onal library which should integrate with its surrounding community and context. To counteract the site’s exten-sive nature, the building in is de-woven into the context of the site. A mulplic-ity of access is provided to increase its permeability for the public, promong its use. Consequently, the library is ac-vated within the community. The weav-ing of a variety of groups from society provides the final stch in the library.

semester 1 [housing]

ToTo go about achieving such intensificaon the projects take on an infrastructural language whereby the inseron of infrastructure within the void space unlocks the upper levels of the exisng fabric in an efficient manner. Such inseron is essenally a stch, whereby fabric devoid of acvity and use is reintroduced to the city. The queson of why the upper levels of Irish cies are ignored and quite oen le unoccupied is posed and a soluon sought. In thethe first project the locked void is opened at the St. Patrick’s Quay side and an inseron added to create a circulaon route through the central void space. Basement levels are unlocked and new syn-ergies are created between exisng commercial acvies at street level and the void. The void acquires new economic value. at-tempng to address issues of sustainability, the project embraces the exisng fabric and harnesses its potenal for vibrant life-long living in the 21st century and beyond. The upper levels of the fabric are unlocked for housing through the inseron of a light-weight steel structure which provides services and natural light to the Georgian buildings. Circulaon and access to the upper levels is re-versed from the street to the void which established a community atmosphere. The project does not put forward a new agenda but rather its thesis stems from reinhabitaon and unlocking forgoen space. Ispace. Intervenon is kept to a minimum while density increases