June | 2016 | Isabel Barros Architects

Archive for June 20, 2016

barros | June 20, 2016

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Isabel’s Picks for Summer 2016

HERE COMES THE SUN

Just add a touch of style

1. TENSILE FABRIC CANOPY

Manufacturer: Downer International

Price range: n/a

Material: High performance stretch fabric.

Available in Ireland from: Downer Fabric Engineering

2. SOLID GLASS BRICK

Manufacturer: Seves Glassblock

Name: VetroPieno

Price range: €30/brick

Material: Solid glass

Features: VetroPieno can be used in place of traditional bricks to create dramatic interior walls or partitions that maximize the passage of light from room to room — or as a subtle design accents that add a touch of style, character and colour.

Available in Ireland from: GlassBlockCo

3. OLIVE TREE

Name: Standard Olive Tree – Olea europaea (Oleaceae)

Price range: €43

Key facts: Strong, evergreen and cold resistant for southern regions but in the North they require some winter protection. They have a slow steady growth and are easy to maintain. Olive trees are drought resistant and very tough.

Available in Ireland from: Gardens4you.ie

4. FLOOR LAMP

Brand: Structures

Designer: Nicolas Pichelin , Antonio Astore

Product name: S7 Origin Wish Floor lamp

Price range: €1,713

Material: Structure- composite. Head- composite/optical fiber.

Key features: Low power consumption – Patented interchangeable head lamp – 1 LED (provided) – G4 – 24v – 3w – IP54 – Outdoor use.

Available to Ireland from: Made in Design

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barros | June 7, 2016

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100-Year-Old Chimney Breasts

Accurate conservation of a building requires historical research. When we work with old buildings we often have to study the construction methods used many years ago so we can propose and develop an appropriate approach.

Intervention in old buildings must be based on knowledge of the works and techniques of the past. Old books and/or illustrations are one of the sources regularly used to understand historic buildings and devise appropriate intervention.

Chimney breasts in Party Walls 1916 Jaggard and Drury

Chimney breasts in party walls by Walter R. Jaggard and Francis E. Drury, Architectural Building Construction – Vol. II – Cambridge University Press

Here we share with you a beautiful illustration from Vol. 2 of the Architectural Building Construction book by Walter R. Jaggard and Francis E. Drury. with a 1st Edition dated from 1923. The authors illustrate in Detail no. 20 of their book the construction of chimney breasts in party walls. The illustration is beautifully hand drawn and is self explanatory. However, we highlight some of the text that accompanies it:

Jambs – Jambs to the sides of fireplace openings may project to any required distance but must be at least 9” wide, and, if the projection be more than 4 1/2” and the width less than 13 1/2”, the jambs must be tied by a caulked chimney bar of wrought iron (or steel) where an arch is employed to support the breast walling above.

Thickness of flue walls – The brickwork surrounding a flue, in jambs, breasts and stack, must be at least 4 1/2” thick.

Size of flues – While some local authorities require dwelling house flues to be at least 14” (13 1/2”) x 9”, this size of flue is not specifically mentioned in the Model Bye-laws. The adoption of the above size is due to a provision in the Act for the Regulation of Chimney Sweepers and Chimneys, 1840, but it is now generally adhered to, 9” x 9” flues being common.

Pargetting – All flues must be pargetted, viz. rendered inside with lime or cement mortar as the flues are built, unless lined with square or cylindrical fireclay tubes.

Isabel Barros is a RIAI Architect Accredited in Conservation at Grade 3. Please contact office@isabelbarrosarchitects.ie if you need assistance with your Conservation project.