Residential Development at Cunningham Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin
A suburban infill site in the grounds of a protected structure Santa Maria; a coastal location with sloping topography and mature trees.
It is a high-quality residential development, with generous space provision and diversity of unit typologies. Contemporary design with high quality materials and a variety of architectural and landscaped screening elements for privacy
Residential Development at Cunningham Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin
A suburban infill site in the grounds of a protected structure Santa Maria; a coastal location with sloping topography and mature trees.
It is a high-quality residential development, with generous space provision and diversity of unit typologies. Contemporary design with high quality materials and a variety of architectural and landscaped screening elements for privacy
The development site area comprises 5,904 sqm (1.45 acres) and is positioned to the rear of ‘Santa Maria’, a large Victorian house on Cunningham Road listed as a Protected Structure.
The existing characteristic of the site is of a large sloping ‘lost’ garden and the architectural strategy proposed accepts the nature of the place as a landscaped garden and seeks to integrate the new buildings into the garden to form a new synthesis of building and landscape, with the landscape pre-dominating. The buildings become pavilions in a new garden of terraces, steps, planting, trees and levels. Many of the existing trees within the site are retained, especially those to the south and along the West boundary. These are augmented by a careful and extensive planting programme.
The development site area comprises 5,904 sqm (1.45 acres) and is positioned to the rear of ‘Santa Maria’, a large Victorian house on Cunningham Road listed as a Protected Structure.
The existing characteristic of the site is of a large sloping ‘lost’ garden and the architectural strategy proposed accepts the nature of the place as a landscaped garden and seeks to integrate the new buildings into the garden to form a new synthesis of building and landscape, with the landscape pre-dominating. The buildings become pavilions in a new garden of terraces, steps, planting, trees and levels. Many of the existing trees within the site are retained, especially those to the south and along the West boundary. These are augmented by a careful and extensive planting programme.
A line of terraced mews dwellings, whose form and materials are intended to complement the house, spatially demarcates the limits of the large rear garden of ‘Santa Maria’, formerly a lawn tennis court, from the remainder of the landholding which contains 10 detached houses and 9 apartments, arranged as a dispersed cluster of buildings.
These have been designed to maximise the exposure to the south and the sun, whilst providing discrete and carefully chosen views to the north and the sea.
Advantage is taken of the natural slope of the land, the slope is 1:7 or a storey height every 20 ms, to allow the buildings to nestle into the hill using efficient semi-basement areas accommodating bedrooms and the smaller service rooms. This allows the visible above-ground built forms to emerge from the landscape as relatively small pavilion-like volumes. These volumes contain the main living areas and are designed as large light-filled, airy spaces with good access to the adjoining external private terraces.
The new buildings are composed of natural materials (brick, timber, lead) and are ‘settled’ into the hill by the continuity of these materials into the new landscape.
The development site area comprises 5,904 sqm (1.45 acres) and is positioned to the rear of ‘Santa Maria’, a large Victorian house on Cunningham Road listed as a Protected Structure.
The existing characteristic of the site is of a large sloping ‘lost’ garden and the architectural strategy proposed accepts the nature of the place as a landscaped garden and seeks to integrate the new buildings into the garden to form a new synthesis of building and landscape, with the landscape pre-dominating. The buildings become pavilions in a new garden of terraces, steps, planting, trees and levels. Many of the existing trees within the site are retained, especially those to the south and along the West boundary. These are augmented by a careful and extensive planting programme.
A line of terraced mews dwellings, whose form and materials are intended to complement the house, spatially demarcates the limits of the large rear garden of ‘Santa Maria’, formerly a lawn tennis court, from the remainder of the landholding which contains 10 detached houses and 9 apartments, arranged as a dispersed cluster of buildings.
These have been designed to maximise the exposure to the south and the sun, whilst providing discrete and carefully chosen views to the north and the sea.
Advantage is taken of the natural slope of the land, the slope is 1:7 or a storey height every 20 ms, to allow the buildings to nestle into the hill using efficient semi-basement areas accommodating bedrooms and the smaller service rooms. This allows the visible above-ground built forms to emerge from the landscape as relatively small pavilion-like volumes. These volumes contain the main living areas and are designed as large light-filled, airy spaces with good access to the adjoining external private terraces.
The new buildings are composed of natural materials (brick, timber, lead) and are ‘settled’ into the hill by the continuity of these materials into the new landscape.
Access a PDF from Architecture Ireland about the Residential Development at Cunningham Road project below.