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Scale & Façade in County Limerick - Mícheál de Siún

The building utilises stack effect from the atrium space together with the latent thermal mass of smooth exposed concrete soffits and air intake from the east façade to naturally ventilate the building. It is the shading to the Atrium space however where the real investment of energy has clearly gone. This 'Brise Soliel' complicated by a need/desire to give a greater degree of shading from the southwest has produced a very graceful three-dimensional bowed laminated timber truss, which arcs its way up the full height of the buildings western facade, and is definitely the signature feature of the scheme. This elegant shading structure is also used to support the atrium glazing, and has effectively become a single integrated façade. The entire curtain is slung from the roof, with a series of steel ties and extraordinary galvanised 'hockey stick' steel sections. With the scaffolding still in place we were able to get a one-off view of these sections, but unfortunately deprived of the full impact of the space and light that the façade is ultimately intended to create. Still one can imagine that the complexity and effort invested in this structure will produce at least a striking space. Whether this effort in the iconic value of the western façade speaks of its context, or of civic authority is perhaps a more subjective debate however, as I did find the remaining expression of the building very much more confused.

Our next visit later that day (after a brief pit stop in Tipperary town) was to the beautifully picturesque town of Galbally. Here we were greeted by an exceptionally sensitive, contextual and simultaneously contemporary scheme of social housing, and also by a very proud and enthusiastic local contractor. Again the planning here was very simple, neat and tight - conforming to rigid Department of the Environment guideline areas. Two blocks of one and three storey units respond to the sloping site, and neighbouring buildings. The single- storey block housing two- bedroom sheltered units runs parallel to the street out of the town. The three storey units offset behind, rise up the site at an angle to the street and face a small Georgian house opposite. This block utilises the slope of the site giving a main entrance to the front at ground level, with a garden at first floor to the rear. The homogeneity of the blocks is emphasised by monolithic roofs and continuous eaves. The use of dark pigmented render further gives the scheme identity, whilst remaining appropriately muted.