House at Dirk Cove
2004
This project is a house on the west coast of Ireland. Located in a small harbour looking North-East across Dirk Bay and sheltered by Dundeady headland, the existing cottage was part of a small complex of buildings associated with the boat slip for the old coastguard’s station.
The architectural strategy was to design a building which allows for a maximum appreciation of the natural environment, whilst remaining almost invisible from the public road which skirts the bay. The existing cottage spaces were refurbished as bedroom accommodation, with a new extension set against a thicket of mature trees. The spaces together enclose a central lawned garden.
The new extension, in contrast to the solid proportions of the existing cottage, stretches out to the horizon, with a fractured geometry reflecting the surrounding rock strata. The living room is arranged around a bespoke cast concrete dining table, with an associated window seat almost cantilevered out over the ocean. Sitting here, facing the seascape, one feels part of the force of the building driving out towards the horizon.