Building study

Site plan or a small country, the Predictably, perhaps, all these practices Republic of Ireland has are based in Dublin (Tom de Paor produced a wonderful crop of is in the neighbouring county of Farchitectural talent. The great names, Wicklow) since the city and its Modern megalith such as Scott Tallon Walker, De immediate surroundings are home Blacam and Meagher, and Grafton to half the population. An ancient stone portal was the inspiration Architects have been joined over the By contrast, the practice of years by architects such as McGarry MacGabhann Architects has its for MacGabhann Architects’ Dolmen House Ní Éanaigh, O’Donnell + Tuomey, offices in the far north-west, near in north-west Ireland, writes Charles Rattray. and more recently by a younger , in . One 0 20m generation: TAKA, Clancy Moore, partner is a project manager and the N Photography by Dennis Gilbert Ryan Kennihan ... one could go on. other read architecture in London >> 42 theaj.co.uk 11.04.14 11.04.14 43 The Dolmen House, Drumacloghan, Co Donegal, Ireland MacGabhann Architects

1. Store Section A-A 2. Living 3. Dining 4 Kitchen 5. Patio 1 13 13 6. Entry hall 7. Cloaks 8 13 8. Bathroom/WC 13 9. Utility 10. Garage 11. Playroom 12. Office 13. Bedroom 19 2 3 4 6 8 10 14. Airing cupboard 0 1m 15. Sitting room 16. Terrace 17. Gym 18. Steam room 19. Sun room 20. Library corridor

First floor plan

8 20 17

A A 14 8 18

1 13 15 8 13 13 13 8 (The Bartlett) rather than Dublin, the tension between transience and considerably greater age – a nearby worked for Daniel Libeskind in , rootedness. In each case a visual dolmen, or megalithic portal tomb, and now teaches at Queen’s University ‘argument’ is pursued with clarity where upright stones support a flattish in . The detachment from and concluded with grace. top stone, rather like a table. The 16 what one may describe as a ‘Dublin The question of whether the formal result here is an object-like top, School’ in architecture is more than building makes the site or the site clad in dark and crisp fibre cement physical, then, and it shows. Their makes the building is never far away and accommodating private, cellular work is highly charactered, sometimes when one visits these places, and rooms, propped – or appearing to float Ground floor plan formally unorthodox, and often this new house is no exception. The – over a smooth stone floor, gently elucidates the very specific qualities of approach here through undulating stepped to match the ground. The a site. The Letterkenny Council Area landscape to the south gives a partial top is punctured by windows, but the Office (2003), for example, is built on first view, over an intermediate hill, monolithic quality is maintained since, 9 a continuous ramp from outside to when the roof appears almost like one to the east, these are of irregular height 6 inside and under a continuous planted of the surrounding agricultural sheds. and, to the west, are in the form of roof surface; the dramatically faceted The site, with superb views over Lough long strips that partially conceal the >> 7 Previous pages Letterkenny Regional Cultural Centre Swilly, lies on the side of a hill, but 19 2 3 4 (2007) presents its foyer as a theatre on a rise between two other houses so The approach to the to the town; a weekend house by the that, in terms of habitation, it appears house, via a winding 8 10 side of Lough Swilly encapsulates to occupy the highest point. road, from the east In terms of context, the existing Top View from west, houses are standard developer products with opaque volume An object-like top and therefore gave few clues for the perched above fully glazed living, dining appears to float over new work. In these circumstances, 5 11 12 and typically for this architect, ideas and kitchen areas Left Architect’s a smooth stone floor 0 1m were instead sought from other man- N made structures in the landscape of conceptual model

44 theaj.co.uk 11.04.14 11.04.14 45 The Dolmen House, Drumacloghan, Co Donegal, Ireland MacGabhann Architects

levels within. Read together with the propped volume, the stone-clad garage to the north side of the ground floor gives a little hint of Le Corbusier’s Pavillon Suisse. Here the overhang forms a carport. While the plans are simple, the section is figured. Within the top, a long library corridor links all the rooms (and has the strip windows). Right Living, kitchen The floor is birch ply, a material that and dining areas then seems to gather itself into a stair with contiguous which reaches down to touch the patio, looking south ground while being held away from Below Ground the walls in a roof-lit void. Whereas >> floor living room below the crank in the soffit of the The connection between overhead volume Opposite First inside and out is floor stair landing relaxed and informal between sitting room and bedroom

46 theaj.co.uk 11.04.14 The Dolmen House, Drumacloghan, Co Donegal, Ireland MacGabhann Architects

Opposite View there is an intimacy about the upstairs windy climate) are screened downstairs Project data (and the end bedroom is especially from east by concealed blinds mounted cosy, as the floor rises and the ceiling horizontally. Galvanised edges to height reduces in line with the outside openings give a precise built quality. form), downstairs is a place for parties, Too much has been made of public and open. In between, at the top For more on Bungalow Bliss, a famous Irish house of the stairs is a private sitting room this project pattern book widely held responsible with a balcony over the garage. for the curiously heterotopic nature of The AJ on iPad On section, the ‘chimney’ above the much of Ireland’s rural housing. On & iPhone dining table is lined in the same fibre the other hand, if every house were to cement as the exterior cladding and be made like this, the country would the wall to the south side of the stair. be a very strange place. This is a special The connection between inside and out building. Its contexts are not only start on site July 2011 completion August 2013 here is relaxed and informal: to have physical or related to a constructional gross internal floor area 352m2 reinforced the notion of a solid top by reality, but include an engagement procurement Traditional lining the ground-floor ceiling with AJ Buildings Library with domesticity, a comment on home, construction cost Undisclosed construction cost per m2 Undisclosed the same material as the outside might and a continuation of the distinguished n client Private have been conceptually consistent, tradition of the Modern house. architect MacGabhann Architects but less domestic. Black anodised Charles Rattray is an architect and structural engineer Michael Carr main contractor Paul Doherty (Black & Doherty) aluminium windows (which are low teaches at the University of Dundee. annual co2 emissions Not confirmed maintenance in the rather wet and He is author of Geurst & Schulze (2013)

North elevation South elevation

East elevation

48 theaj.co.uk 11.04.14