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Old House / New House

Co. Galway

Completion date : Summer 2010

The existing rural 1920's house was designed for a parish priest but never inhabited. The plans show this design intention quite clearly as the size and layout of the house was intended for a single person and does not support family living. The very fine external detailing and materials used reflect the social status of the priest as client. The current owners and clients approached us to effectively create a family home for them within this house.

Our first move was to design a separate element that will plug into the existing house. This element will contain the heart of the family home, which was missing from the original structure. The present outhouse will contain new timber structures to house guest accommodation and music rooms. This move enhances the external courtyard as habitable external space and reflects the original intended use as a home for the religious by suggesting the form of a cloister. We want to respect the original house as a gem, refurbishing it but making no structural modifications; all other structural interventions on the site support and enhance the house as the primary focus.

We chose to design this object as something aesthetically very different from the original house, not replicating or imitating it, cladding it in timber that will weather to grey and fade into the background. The exaggerated timber pitched roof of the new building is one element of the rhythm of pitched roofs experienced within the courtyard. The layout maximises sunlight penetration and focuses the internal spaces on the gardens and courtyards on the site.

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Donoghue Corbett Architects