Hasta La Ideas

A glazed corridor connects the two wooden halves of this seaside house on the east coast of Ireland by Dublin studio A2 Architects.

Constructed from Douglas fir, the single-storey residence replaces a holiday chalet that previously occupied the site.

An existing sea wall protects the rear terrace behind the house during high tides, but a gated staircase leads down to the beach when the tide is out.

One side of the house contains nothing but a large living and dining room, while two bedrooms, bathrooms and a kitchen are located opposite.

Clerestory windows run along the sides of the house, above the furniture.

You can see a few more projects in Ireland here, including a mews house with protruding brickwork.

Photography is by Marie-Louise Halpenny.

The following text is from A2 Architects:

Seaside House

A new seaside holiday house occupies the former site of a longstanding summer chalet with existing private access to a dramatic beach on the east coast of Ireland, north of the capital city of Dublin.

Resonating with the scale and placement of neighbouring mobile homes, two untreated douglas fir timber enclosures rest on a cast concrete podium over a drift geology. Shelter unfolds between parallel wall planes to embrace views east over the Irish Sea and west over potato fields.

Viewed from the upper coastal road the grass roofs assimilate into the patchwork of field enclosure common in the Irish landscape.

A central cast terrazzo fireplace and a roof lit spine hallway anchor the plan.

A datum at 2.1m extends out to the external terraces forming shelter like the cap of a hat above which a continuous south facing clerestory window spans the living room, tracking the sun from morning to evening.

Clerestory glazing internally above the built-in furniture brings reflected sunlight into the timber lined bedrooms and bathrooms. A counter level window in the kitchen affords a panoramic view north to the headland on the coast. A layer of reflective polished terrazzo is laid over the concrete podium and parallel to the horizon in a wave-like rhythm.

A coastal garden and raised planter afford privacy to the main bedroom and a sheltered evening terrace enjoys west sun and views of the horizon through the living room. The large seaside family terrace is the focus for daily beach life; a place to gather and enjoy the sun or the shade.

Underfloor heating and superinsulation allow year round economic comfort and use.

Project Facts:
Internal Area of house: 150 sq.m
Duration (design to completion): 2006 – 2010
Location: County Louth, Republic of Ireland

Architects: A2 Architects
Team: Caomhan Murphy MRIAI, Peter Carroll MRIAI, Joan McElligott MRIAI

Structural Engineer: Casey O’ Rourke Associates
Main Building Contractor: Peter Taaffe, Ardee, Co.
Terrazzo: P.J. Ryan Terrazzo and Mosaic Specialists Ltd.