Plastic House / Architecture Republic

Aug 2010

Uploaded by Nico Saieh — Filed under: Houses ,Refurbishment ,Selected , Architecture Republic, Ireland, Polycarbonate, Steel

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Architects: Architecture Republic
Location: Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Project Team: Maxim Laroussi, Jean-Baptiste Astruc, Javier Buron, John Casey, Mark Carter
Consulting structural and civil engineers: Casey ‘O Rourke Associates
Project Area: 67 sqm
Construction Cost: €120,000
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Paul Tierney photography

A house is excavated and a space created. The insertion of an object allows inhabitation.

The house is on a terrace whose split-section is native to Georgian Dublin; a grand parlour to the front with smaller rooms to the rear at half-levels one up and one down from the street.

original building

axo 01

The project begins with removal – of the existing extension, internal walls and earth – bringing the entire house to lower ground-floor level. This opens the volume of the house as a double-height vessel, full of light.

A cruciform object is inserted; a piece of architectural furniture which spreads tree-like from a concentrated base. Services such as kitchen, toilet, storage and stairwell are housed within this trunk – providing for living and dining in the spaces around it.

Above this is a platform for sleeping, dressing and study spaces. The four branches of the structure hold various functions – two which span to the side walls act as wardrobes while that to the front is a cantilevered reading desk for the teacher-client. The fourth branch extends through the rear wall and projects two meters beyond it housing a shower room, which is glazed to the sky, reminiscence of the traditional “Georgian return typology”.

A ledge running along the perimeter wall downstairs expresses the retaining wall which was built against the street and neighbouring houses – this doubles as a shelf for the display of books and artifacts in the living and dining areas. Opening out from this ground floor is a generous garden with a simple rendered wall, which hides a secret reading room and bathing area. This private realm extends visually to the rear of the site through a glazed wall, which can be opened allowing for sheltered outdoor bathing.

First presented at the arrival platform, the house must be circumambulated before it can be fully understood. At each vantage point the space can be conceived as contained by the existing shell with its double-pitched roof and unaltered openings. The entire house is a continuous yet differentiated volume – only the washrooms are fully enclosed. A complex series of interconnected and overlapping spaces is set up by the architectural insertion and its projections.

The insertion is constructed with polycarbonate and steel. This lightweight structure is also the primary source of light in the evening – inset fittings cause its translucent surfaces to illuminate the spaces, which it generates above, below and between the object and its container.

: © Paul Tierney photography

: original building

: © Paul Tierney photography

: © Paul Tierney photography

: © Paul Tierney photography

: © Paul Tierney photography

: © Paul Tierney photography

: © Paul Tierney photography

: © Paul Tierney photography

: © Paul Tierney photography

: © Paul Tierney photography

: © Paul Tierney photography

: © Paul Tierney photography

: ground floor plan

: first floor plan

: section

: axo 01

: axo 02

: model

* Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.

Cite:
Saieh , Nico . "Plastic House / Architecture Republic" 02 Aug 2010. ArchDaily. Accessed 25 May 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/71430>

Comments (8)
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shetu says:

Very interesting work.

# August 3, 2010 at 00:09

niko says:

Wow! That’s a place where I’d love to take a shower!

# August 3, 2010 at 02:06

Daniel says:

I can only imagine the heritage constraints. A poetic solution borne in response to real forces and therefore will not date.

Its a shame that for the same price you’ll get 300m2 ‘mock modern’ speculative house whose plan is stamped in any suburb in any OECD country. But as my 4.5ft mum humbly proclaims, the best perfume is in the smallest containers!

Congratulations and thanks for having balls.

# August 3, 2010 at 05:56

Eugene says:

eah the shower is realy cool

# August 3, 2010 at 07:37

Paul Bradburn says:

Excellent thinking out of the box, literally !

# August 3, 2010 at 16:25

las vegas bridal hair says:

Yet another fantastic post, always great to visit your blog! Keep at it!

# August 6, 2010 at 03:10

Brendan Duffy says:

Well, Clearly one for the mags and not for much else.
What will it look like in 5 years time? (Or less).

A ice cube shower room with no insulation (non-compliant with regs).
A flat glass roof covered in bird-poo and green gunk.
The moths, blue-bottles and spiders will make interesting pattens behind the polycarbonate.
The aural sensations of these sheets expanding & contracting should be nice too.
It probably would have been more environmentally friendly to use Amazonian hardwood than that material!
I wonder does the polycarbonate off-gas significantly? – Oh they do! Nice too.
Might be good to consider fire safety because the upper floor bedroom is open to the lower floor and its kitchen. Does that comply with Regs?
How does polycarbonate behave in fire conditions? Not pretty.
Overall – Def one designed for max mag publicity. Certainly not for “Living”.

# August 6, 2010 at 08:15

Jaime says: