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An Intriguing Dublin Mews Retrofit

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This very interesting series of shadows invented by Donaghy & Dimond Architects forms a new kitchen/living and separate study/bedroom to a 19th century Dublin mews house.

Weathered domestic back yards, outhouses, garden walls and rights of way forms a ‘borrowed landscape’ for the project.

Ancient weathered bricks from the enlarged opening in the back wall are reused as pavers for the courtyard.

The scale of garden wall and lean-to roof is used to connect and mediate between private house, urban courtyard garden and common back lane.

The narrow kitchen benefits from passive solar design, with the sun warming the thermal materials inside during the day, and warming the air each night.

The simple, unadorned construction reflects the simplicity of the neighbouring 19th century structures.

The materials will weather in place, allowing lichens and moss to grow on their textured surfaces.

Their lower edges of the new structure rest on and are connected by a timber box-beam doubling as valley gutter that collects all rainwater from the rear of the house and diverts it to a cast concrete cistern.

Passive solar design and very tight insulation makes the best of the weak Dublin sunshine. A polished concrete floor soaks up and retains warmth and gives it back to the greenhouse-like space.

The narrow kitchen workspace is finely tuned to be adequate, while encouraging outdoor eating in summer.