We would like to wish all our clients a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.
Our offices will close at 1.00pm on Thursday 22nd December and reopen at 9.30am on Thursday 05th January 2023
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Archive for the ‘Lifestyle’ Category
Look out for each other and stay well.
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Here at Allan Curran Architects we’ve entered the period of closure that most businesses are now facing. This is going to run for at least the next fortnight, and very possibly longer. The closure period is a huge challenge to the entire country, and we’re going to find new ways of living and working until the crisis passes. Although the Allan Curran offices are closed, we’re well set up to work from home and we intend to carry on as usual with everybody fully employed.
Our work will continue as normal with discussions and meetings taking place online or via the phone, and drawings and documents being emailed as usual so that things can resume smoothly when the time comes.
In short, we’re aiming to minimise disruption to everybody that we deal with, and we’re very definitely open for business – just remotely for now.
Look out for each other and stay well.
Irish Intercounties Surfing Championship – 50 year anniversary
Posted byThis weekend sees the 50 year celebration of the Irish Intercounties Surfing Championship at Rossnowlagh, Co. Donegal and while I didn’t arrive on the scene until year four I have great memories of the event and of its founder, the late Brian Britton.
I had known Brian and his brothers since we were kids playing in the sand dunes in Rossnowlagh but we drifted apart during school and university years. We got together again in 1972 when Brian led a small army of European surfers up from County Clare where he had organised Ireland’s first hosting of the European Surfing Championships. We had a shared passion for surfing that took us around the world representing Irish surfing as competitors, managers and organisers. Brian’s boundless energy, efficiency and his attention to detail took him on to become President of the Irish Surfing Association, President of the European Surfing Federation and Vice-President of the world’s governing body, the International Surfing Association.
I shall attend his memorial dinner next Saturday at the Intercounties and will no doubt, with many others, recall the great times we had on the world’s beaches from Lisbon to Lahinch, from Sydney to Strandhill and from Rio back to Rossnowlagh and the Irish Intercounties. His passing is not only a great loss to his family and friends but to the world of surfing.
Image 1 – Lorraine Quinn, (nee Walls), with Quarterdeck playing in the Surfers Bar at the Intercounties early in the 1980’s.
Image 2 – Brian in full flow welcoming the world’s surfers to an Irish Party in Rio de Janerio, 1996.
1. Quarterdeck, Surfers Bar
2. Brian Britton, 1996
Allingham Arms Hotel, Bundoran
Posted byUnder the new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) we have been trawling through old files, before committing them to the shedder and we came across this old photograph of the Allingham Arms Hotel in Bundoran as it was back in the 60’s and 70’s.
It reminded us of the exciting times we had working with the late Sean McEniff. He was a man of seemingly boundless energy and a drive to move forward, at speed.
Original Allingham Arms Hotel 1960-1970’s
In the late 1980’s we were engaged with Sean in adding to his hotel in Letterkenny, the Mount Errigal (previously the Ballyraine). During design discussions he announced that he had just purchased the Allingham Arms and asked us to work with him on the development of the hotel. From the start there was opposing views on the best way to commence that development. One option was to refurbish the existing building and to extend it, thereby getting an income stream started in the shortest possible time. The option we favoured was the demolition of the existing and the erection of a new hotel set on the front of the site as close to the sea as possible. As architects, we also wanted to showcase our skill by creating an extension to the wonderful Bay View Terrace, but in a modern format. We lost the argument and photos below show the early 1991-92 development.
Bay View Terrace picture from Twisted Limbs & Crooked Branches
Allingham Arms Hotel 1990’s
Allingham Arms Hotel – Dining Room
Allingham Arms Hotel – Old Cafe Bar
Ironically the hotel proved so popular that we have been adding to the building ever since and in 2006 we finally got to build an extension to the hotel on the seafront to make use of those magnificent views.
We were delighted recently to see that the success of the hotel under Peter, Elizabeth and family has brought it to four-star status. It’s come a long way since 1991.
Allingham Arms Hotel
Allingham Arms Hotel – New Cafe Bar
Refurbishment and extension to family dwelling, Co. Leitrim
Posted byOne of the most enjoyable aspects of our work is witnessing architecture make a family fall in love with their home again. This was our experience of a recent refurbishment and extension to a family dwelling in Co. Leitrim.
Everything about the pretty village of Leitrim, that attracted them twelve years ago, still appealed to our clients. They had simply outgrown their first home. Family visits from Donegal were now an expanding entity in themselves as cousins for their two girls arrived along.
Entertaining family was never going to be compromised by this pair, so they came to us seeking to expand and open up their kitchen-dining space and to find a way to incorporate a snug sitting area.
Although the site is narrow we were able to add on a small extension to the side. We flooded the new extension with light from above, as well as improving access to an existing patio garden directly from the kitchen, with the addition of new glazed doors.
Reconfiguring the existing internal layout created a transformation of the boxed, defined spaces too often the property developers’ layout of choice. The look of the new space is contemporary, a light filled soothing palette of whites and blue greys with pops of colour in the soft furnishings.
Now at the end of a busy working week our clients like nothing better than to avail of the stunning amenities Leitrim has to offer and return home to the space that more than ever is the heart of their home. We know they are sure to maximise their new kitchen over the holiday period. We wish them and all Allan Curran clients and friends a happy and peaceful Christmas.
Our clients wanted to open their house up to create more room for entertaining family and friends, and although the site is narrow we were able to add on a small extension to the side. We also removed a few walls inside the house, so that with contemporary finishes, fittings and furniture the whole look and feel of the house has been transformed. Our clients are delighted with the light- filled Scandi- feel of their new kitchen, dining and living areas and are sure to make good use of them over the holiday period.
Co. Leitrim Before
Co. Leitrim After 1
Co. Leitrim After 2
Co. Leitrim After 3
Co. Leitrim After 4
Co. Leitrim After 5
Co. Leitrim After 6
Co. Leitrim After 7
Refurbishment, renovation and extension of 1980s dwelling located Co. Fermanagh
Posted byAs part of the refurbishment a good portion of the existing ground floor was reconfigured to put a kitchen/dining space at the southern gable with an increased window size to maximise the light and the view. The old kitchen was turned into a “winter snug” that was separated physically from the garden room with a screen but this was glazed to maintain a visual connection and once again to maximise the southern light, feeding as many spaces as possible.
Existing interiors of dwelling
refurbished main living room
The first floor bedrooms and dressing areas were also reconfigured to give two top quality bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and additional storage space.
New extension to rear of dwelling
View of new glazing to extension
We have a growing awareness, as we pull ourselves out of the recession and start to build again, that there is a distinct shortage of sub-contractors. The contractor, Stephen Farry, has done his best to keep to the programme but is continually delayed by the sub-contractors, who, in turn, are stretched to meet the growing demand while honouring long standing relationships. In short, delays that we are experiencing on many jobs are nobody’s fault, just a symptom of a general shortage of skilled labour.
In this, and many other cases, we are left to rely on the clients understanding and tolerance. So far that has been forthcoming and the work is proceeding, albeit at a slower pace than hoped for.
Refurbished bathroom
Refurbished Dressing Room
Refurbishment, renovation and extension to existing 1980s dwelling located in Co. Fermanagh
Posted byIn the early designs it was envisaged that the refurbishment needed to include a half or two storey extension to accommodate the client’s brief which gave the extension a form similar to the existing but with a much more contemporary feel. However, when they revised their brief the reduced accommodation could be incorporated into a single storey. Adding a single storey extension to the existing format of the refurbishment was problematic without using a flat roof, which the Client wanted to avoid. We therefore devised a delta wing roof which, as well as avoiding a flat roof solution, gave us a number of positive contributions to the project. It provided a clear distinction between old and new while a deep overhang created much needed shadowing for the wall of glass that was important to the Client in order to link the garden room to the landscaped patios and beyond.
To further accentuate the separation between traditional and contemporary the “garden room” extension is to be clad in natural cedar contrasting with the heavier wet dashed block work of the existing dwelling. The refurbishment and extension are designed to passive house levels of airtightness and insulation.
Refurbishment of 1980s dwelling – Delta wing roof taking shape.
Refurbishment and extension of 1980s dwelling – block work and steel to Pavilion extension
Refurbishment, renovation and extension to existing 1980s dwelling located in Co. Fermanagh
Posted byAs Enniskillen architects we were approached by a Client looking to start a refurbishment project. He had purchased an existing 1980’s dwelling to which he wanted to add more reception areas, to make best use of the south facing aspect and to modernise the existing building, all in a very short time frame.
The project was to be carried out in two phases, the first was to make changes to the existing house to make it habitable and allow the clients to vacate their old house. The second phase involved an extension to the rear but a key question quickly arose, how to join old to new. It was agreed that it was important, visually, to differentiate between the two so the design for the second phase called for a departure from the traditional style of the existing building and one which also allowed the clients to put their own mark on their future home.
Front of existing 1980s dwelling before refurbishment
Rear of existing 1980s dwelling before refurbishment
It was very important to resolve this issue quickly in order to get the design into the planning system and keep the project on schedule. At the same time the issue was so fundamental that rushing it wasn’t an option. The essence of the layout involved bringing the garden to the southwest into play as an outside extension of the new ‘garden room’. This was to be the area where friends and family would gather but it would also be an area from which you could view both old and new together so it needed careful consideration.
We discussed it with our client, changed it around a fair bit and eventually came up with a very different solution.
1980s refurbishment early design
Refurbishment of existing dwelling, Henry Street, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh
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Timber boarding
Following consideration of innumerable sample colours the timber boarding has been painted with a light grey breathable Colortrend Woodcare Solid Colour Woodstain. The timber shutters have been painted to match the Munster Joinery Aluclad timber and aluminium, triple glazed windows. The old railing at the rear has been removed and the gap between the concrete slab walkway around the building and the DOE fence has been filled with Saige Longlife recycled decking to significantly increase the usable space. The walkway has been waterproofed and a granular surface has been applied.
At the rear the old railing has been removed and by fixing the new railing to the outside face of the concrete slab an extra 8” has been added to the useful width of the deck. The glass panels have yet to be fitted.
Upper level balcony
The 50mm screed has been laid on 150mm of rigid insulation and the first coat of emulsion paint has been applied to all walls and ceilings
Upper level internal
Refurbishment of existing dwelling, Henry Street, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh
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Lower level
Lower level
The plaster to the lower level was tested and any boast plaster removed and a scratch coat was applied to the remaining sound render in preparation for a “stone” tile to give a visually heavier base to the upper level which is to have a pale grey paint finish to the existing boarding.
The three bedrooms, ensuite, bathroom, hot press and “chill area” were formed from lightweight block work and plastered. A new timber and stainless steel and glass stairs will come down in the centre of the “chill area”.
Internal lower level
Upper level living area
The upper level stud work, plastered and skimmed and is almost ready for the insulation and screed. The two way gas fire has been installed and negotiations are underway with the gas companies to find a suitable supplier for the gas which will fuel the heating, cooking and stove.
Internal upper level with gas fireplace