Shed at Stranorlar
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Le Corbusier
Posted byWhen the Swiss architect Le Corbusier sat down to design the Notre Dame du Haut chapel at Ronchamp in eastern France in 1950, it is unlikely that he was thinking about farm buildings in Donegal. He may or may not have known that he was about to create a masterpiece, but he was sure that he wanted to move away from traditional church designs. Instead, he drew inspiration from nature and primitive building types.
The shed at Stranorlar
Posted byThe shed at Stranorlar could be called a primitive building type, as it was built using local knowledge, building materials and labour, and was (is) very functional. Windows and doors are only where they need to be. At the same time, the shed has to do with ideas of growth and harvest, summer and winter, shelter and the order and routine of life that is dependent on nature. It is this spirit that Le Corbusier wanted to capture at Ronchamp. Perhaps the random nature of the windows, set in the frame of the heavy, solid walls, allowing light to penetrate the darkness inside, expresses this best.
It is interesting that the renowned Derry architect, Liam McCormick, was very influenced by the chapel at Ronchamp, and we can see the effect of this in his well- known chapels at Burt and Creeslough. Indeed, the windows to the side of the main door at Creeslough are very similar in shape to those at Ronchamp, and every bit as beautiful, albeit on a much smaller scale. At least we can be sure that Liam McCormick was aware of our local farm buildings when he sat down to design the chapel at Creeslough. Because of this, we can trace a circle from our simple farm building in Stranorlar through arguably the greatest building of the twentieth century, and back again to one of Donegal’s finest pieces of architecture, in Creeslough.
Introduction to Energy Watch Articles
Posted byWhat can we do to offset rising energy costs?
Other than hassling our political representatives it’s unlikely one can do much about the cost of petrol and diesel but there is a lot you can do to reduce the cost of running your home and you can do even more if you’re lucky enough to be building a new home.
Over the next few issues, allan.curran.architects.ltd are going to put a few ideas to you that we hope will help to reduce those energy bills. A lot of what we set out will be just common sense but we will advise you of the latest technical solutions and point out some of the many pitfalls.
Clearly a new build is a great opportunity to reduce your future energy bills to a very low level and we will give advice on the many aspects that you should consider when starting to build, such as site selection, heating methods and life style changes. However, no matter how many new homes we build over the next decade or two, that number will be dwarfed by the number of existing houses, many of which have been built prior to the 1973 oil crisis with very little concern for energy usage.
As money is a main driver, we are leaving aside such minor matters as global warming, rising sea levels and the expansion of the deserts and we will relate all our advice to “value for money”. Some solutions such as reducing the number and size of north facing windows on a new house or insulating your existing attic are not huge costs and have a relatively straightforward and short term payback, (the time taken to recover the money you spent on the work in the form of savings in your energy bills). Others, such as triple glazing a new house or insulated external plaster to an existing house, take a bit more consideration. We will let you know what grants are available on energy saving measures and, will also hope to throw in a little education. What’s the difference between a “Passive House” and a “Zero Carbon” house? What is “geo-thermal” and how does it work?
We would also invite any readers to send in questions they may have and we’ll do our best to answer them based on our experience.
Some of the topics we will be covering over the next articles are
- the effects of lifestyle on your bills
- insulation and cold bridging
- ventilation and air tightness
- rain water harvesting
- grants
- the Passive Haus
- retrofitting
- the integrated approach
- your site
- solar gain
- low energy lighting
- double and triple glazing
- photovoltaic cells
- solar panels
- geo-thermal and air to water systems
- wind turbines
- heat recovery systems
If you have any other related questions or topics for discussion, contact us on our Facebook/Allan Curran Architects, or by emailing us on donegal@allanarc.com
Shed at Illstrin, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal
Posted byThis little shed catches the eye for so many reasons- it proudly states its importance by standing its ground, making an otherwise straight road defer to it. It is angled towards the passer- by, uncompromisingly meeting your gaze. While the rest of the road is in shadow, this shed has a place in the sun.
The red corrugations of the tin cast shadows that give the roof depth and texture. These shadows change as the hours go by, which gives the roof an organic, natural look that contrasts beautifully with the smooth- plastered walls below. Indeed the curving ridge, grain of the corrugations and frayed lower edge of the roof could almost allow it to be seen as a brightly- coloured leaf amongst all the background greenery.
Below, the dark void is mysterious- what is inside? At a primitive level, it draws you in and provides shelter and storage. There is a very fine visual balance between the solid of the walls and the void of the openings, while the roof appears to barely touch the walls below. Meanwhile, the shed directs you to the house alongside.
When the passage of time (changing seasons, changing weather, and changing light) is added, we find ourselves with a rich visual treat. All this in a small shed on the side of a local country road!