Situated near Sligo Town and adjacent to an extended inlet of the sea, the .3 ha site is coastal but relatively sheltered with a high horizon line.
This eliminates perception of the middle distance and produces a micro-climate suitable for settlement. The surrounding views are, distantly, of mountaintops and sky, and, closer to hand, of rubble stone ditches, cattle and damp earth.
The existing outline planning permission, for a typical detached bungalow, was modified to produce a contemporary house for a growing family, incorporating sustainable best practice as far as possible. The house has an energy wing containing a highly-efficient wood pellet boiler, a large wood pellet store and attached solar panels to provide all heating needs. It is intended that supplementary technologies such as photovoltaic and wind turbines will be incorporated later, as budget permits.
The mass of the 280 sqm house is distributed in 3 barn/shed-like forms, reminiscent of the traditional farmhouse-outbuilding relationship. One contains the living areas, another contains an office and osteopathic treatment room, and the third contains the energy centre in a contemporary rural symbiosis. Construction detail has been suppressed to heighten the formal power of the chosen typologies.