While this is an admirable cause, they do not always succeed in getting their message across, because the projects that garner the most attention tend to be the most rarified and expensive — exceptions that serve only to solidify this “misconception”.
But the architects may get some help this year from the one-off residential winners of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland’s Irish Architecture Awards 2006.
Apart from Martha’s Vineyard — Jim Sheridan’s Hollywood-style modernist dreampad on the sea in Dalkey — the other two “non-commercial” schemes to win awards share an almost Pres- byterian modesty.
One is a demure but modern town house on the southside of Dublin, the other a quiet extension to an Edwardian period home in an established northside suburb. Both are stylish and comfortable and, above all, appear attainable to the rest of us.
John Graby, director of the RIAI, said: “We were really pleased to have so many smaller schemes enter the competition, because it helps get rid of the perception that architecture is only about big buildings and promotes the idea it doesn’t have to mean big money. Sometimes a bad extension can end up costing as much as a good one, if not more in some cases.
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“We have a significant generation of architects at the moment, and contemporary solutions have become acceptable to a new generation of clients. It isn’t about copying what the neighbours do any more and there is no longer a sense that you shouldn’t stand out.
“These awards were not merely a peer-to-peer exercise. You couldn’t enter a project without a citation from the client, so it was really the people who commissioned the schemes who handed out the awards, not architects. What the judges look for is the ability of the architect — without trying too hard — to translate the life of the client.”
One of the winners, 10 Richmond Place in Rathmines, Dublin 6, was built to replace a one-bedroom cottage, bought in 2000 for IR£180,000 (just under €240,000). The cottage was basic but habitable, and Mark Harty lived there for a couple of years while organising the finance and planning for the now-feted scheme.
Built for under €400,000, the two-bedroom town house had to be designed and constructed on the most awkward of sites, a small triangle of land sandwiched between Mountpleasant Avenue and Richmond Place. Harty says the choice of materials helped keep the project within budget. “The polished concrete floors look great but cost much less than other materials that might have a similar finish,” he said.
He had already decided to use an architectural firm with a modern outlook and met a number of them before commissioning Boyd Cody. The firm assigned architect Peter Cody to work on the project.
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Although Harty could have squeezed a three-bedroom home into the 1,185 sq ft of living accommodation, he thought it best to keep it down to two to help any future sale.
The triangular shape of the house echoes that of the block, and it is finished in yellow brick in keeping with neighbouring houses. Its most outward-looking window neatly reflects the dome of Rathmines church. Set on three levels, it has two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living/dining area and a utility space.
The client’s citation suggests he wanted to make a statement: “I was determined that the appearance of the building would be very much of its time — a fine 21st-century design, sitting cheek-by-jowl with fine buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries.”
Though almost classically open-plan, Harty wanted some division between the kitchen and the main living areas, something he says the architect achieved by using different levels.
“When you are in it, you get the feeling you are surrounded by the town, yet it is still very private,” says Cody. “There are really good views down Mount- pleasant Avenue.”
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The client said: “In approaching the architects for the design of a new building, I also wanted it to be as spacious and light-filled internally as possible. They have succeeded in both aims admirably. The house is a pleasure to live in. It is totally user-friendly without compromising its modernity.
“The materials chosen and used throughout are both subtle and warm and the large windows take advantage of of all available sunlight.”
These materials include, rubber, concrete, plaster and white oak for the kitchen surfaces.
Harty said: “Variations in levels and the way the architects have manipulated the materials to highlight the variations means the house is very much the opposite of the minimalist white box of the traditionalist’s nightmares. The materials, for all their simplicity, speak volumes when artfully arranged and mean the house is simultaneously beautiful, comfortable and dynamic. A fine building and a super home.”
The way things are going, Body Cody’s next job might be to design a building to house its growing awards collection.
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This year’s RIAI gong is the latest in a cabinet that includes accolades from the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Architectural Association of Ireland. The practice has won most recognition for small, residential schemes, something that may be reflected in the kind of commissions it is currently getting. Peter Cody said: “We are doing lots and lots of houses, which is great, but I would love someone to give us a big building to do for a change.”
With the odd title of “Kitchen, Garden, Party Wall” the other winner is a bunker-like rejection of Celtic Tiger ostentation. The extension to a traditional Edwardian house on Arran Road in Drumcondra, Dublin 9, pays its respects to heritage while remaining solidly in the 21st century.
In this case, the client had spent some time renovating the main part of the house and wanted “to do something innovative yet appropriate with the kitchen and breakfast rooms at the rear”. This area, “in common with the downstairs return in most Edwardian houses”, was “a dark, uninviting and functional area with no connection to the outside”. The kitchen also had a view of an ugly outbuilding that had been used as an office by the previous owners of the house.
Architect Donaghy & Dimond suggested taking out the bottom floor of the return altogether and supporting the upstairs with a cast-concrete pier and cantilever beams, so they could have a free-plan area beneath.
The new ground floor was built by casting in concrete “a drawer-shaped construction” underneath, providing southerly light from above and privacy from the rear. The floors are polished concrete, while oak was used for the windows, presses and countertops. The extension is connected to the rest of the house by a small lobby and sliding door.
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Graby of the RIAI believes the standard of entries in the competition is getting better each year. He says: “There are entries that won awards 10 years ago that wouldn’t be selected for exhibition now. It is a sign not only of the levels of talent around, but of a growing interest in the practice of architecture. There used to be two schools of architecture in Ireland, whereas now there are four and soon there may be six.”