SELECTED
PROJECTS
The
project was to create two adjoining dwellings. Our main aim was to retain as
much as possible of the existing buildings and to apply other environmental
objectives in a pragmatic way, within a relatively tight budget.
We
wanted to demonstrate how redundant structures could be retained and re-used to
create attractive modern, warm and comfortable houses that would clearly be of
the end of the 1990s and yet retain as much of the character of the existing
buildings.
The
architectural design was constrained by attempting to follow the existing shell
of the building as much as possible and adding on in a way that retained the
memory of the original simple mill building.
On
purchasing the property we were given the ‘local advice’ to flatten the
crumbling old walls! Although The Old Mill did not have a particularly strong
architectural quality it offered us the opportunity to create a home in a very
poetic landscape. We wanted to stitch together the old fabric, rather than
restore it, and allow simple and modern design to co-exist. The east wall was in
such an unstable condition that it had to be rebuilt and this gave us the chance
to introduce a large opening and internal void allowing natural light to
penetrate the core of the house.
The
Old Mill reflects the ambitions of the practice which have
included the following:
Mixing modern construction with the old and
allowing a clear visual distinction to be made (for example the different
plaster finishes and the north window cut into the stonework)
Using the poetic opportunities for space and
views with low cilled windows, projecting timber decks, three storey void
etc
Providing sheltered external space for us to benefit
from the landscape throughout the seasons.
Using natural materials and simple detailing,
for example in the doors and staircase.
Improvement of indoor air quality due to careful selection of non-toxic materials and finishes.
photographs by Barbara Egan
There
have also been pragmatic decisions -to keep the project to a tight budget and to
design the internal space to allow for a variety of changing family patterns and
workspace.
Our aim to optimise on the
relationship of the internal space to outside, and particularly the river, has
been the most enjoyable aspect of the design.
Awards:
RIAI Irish Architecture 2000 Nomination
Category:
Northern Ireland Works over £100,000
RSUA
2000 Design Award
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