A new farmhouse for the Galway countryside. This house begins with the vernacular Irish farmhouse typology, which exists throughout the surrounding landscape. While the design adopts the simple volumes and courtyard based organization of this robust and useful typology, it evolves a new expressive tectonic language. Here the traditional ringbeam is exposed and incorporates other functions such as water collection and lateral thrust resistance allowing for an open, unbraced timber roof.
The traditional south facing sheltered courtyard is lined with a shallow colonnade connecting inside and out through a deep threshhold and taking advantage of the low angle passive solar gain. The finishes reflect the rural character of the house with a slate tile roof, white limewashed walls and a rough cast concrete finish. The house sits quietly in a field adjacent to Lough Corrib, familiar and yet distinctly unique.
