Precast House in Dublin, Ireland

June 05, 2010 Category: House, Residential

Designed by FKLarchitects, Precast House is located in Dublin, Ireland. Completed in 2009, Precast House is defined in conceptual terms as three discrete forms – garage, house and swimming pool – each emerging from the landscape, their respective heights being determined by the use of each form. The relationship between the three elements is a casual one, slipping past each other, sliding towards the sea.

The three forms are detailed in the same manner and use the same material, polished precast concrete. The surface tension across the facades is maintained by the flush detailing of the windows and the glass balustrades. The reflected landscape is visible in both materials glass and polished precast concrete.

Internally there are two different conditions; at first floor level (entry level) the plan is open with the primary living spaces and entrance having an overlapping relationship. Within the field of the first floor articulated by a continuous stone floor, a number of timber elements are slipped between floor and ceiling planes, placed to allow definition in the flow of the space. Walnut cladding adds richness to the interior and clearly defines these forms.

At ground floor level (sleeping level) the situation is more introverted, the figure ground relationship is the reverse of the first floor, the plan is treated as a solid mass that has been carved out to make a cruciform circulation space with the bathrooms and bedrooms retained inside the remaining form. The views from this ground floor circulation capture framed glimpses to the landscape.

Precast House by FKLarchitects