Waterfall is a small village in the green belt to the
south of Cork City that has grown largely with
ribbon development and suburban estate-style
housing. Developer Fleming Group's scheme of 42
houses offered an opportunity to deliver something
different: a low-density project that responded to its
rural context and the landscape while also fulfilling a
demand for energy-conscious large detached houses
close to the city.
For scheme designer O'Mahony Pike Architects, the
agricultural characteristics of the 10.5 hectare site with
its fields, hedgerows and adjacent farmyard,
suggested the use of traditional Irish field patterns as
a model for subdivision of the land. This resulted in an
organic arrangement of housing clusters within the
existing field pattern, generally comprising three to six
homes. The approach created identifiable community
groups, with the cul-de-sacs as shared semi-public
spaces connecting the surrounding houses.
There are four main house types in the scheme,
ranging from 250 sq m to 345 sq m in area. The
design of the buildings draws on the scale, form,
language and materials of vernacular rural
architecture. The shallow-plan pitched roof forms and occasional barrel vaulted roof are familiar in the Cork
landscape. Walls are of painted render and roofs are
of natural slate and zinc. Stone walling and planted
earthen bank boundaries complete the limited palette
of materials and complement the existing hedgerows.
The homes are designed to benefit from passive solar
gain. Living spaces open onto south-facing gardens,
while northern elevations have smaller openings. The
shallow plan forms allows cross-ventilation.
The houses are constructed from prefabricated and
pre-insulated steel frame. A high level of airtightness
was achieved, which required careful integration of
building services. In addition, active measures such as
solar panels and heat recovery systems were proposed
to achieve a high energy rating for the homes. |
