Library House

Location: Bree, Wexford, Ireland

Area: 262 sq.m.

Year: 2023 (on site)

The original house on site dated from the 1960’s and required extensive renovation throughout especially in respect of insulation and ventilation. Extensive extensions to the side and rear of the house were built approximately in the 1980’s-1990’s. These flat roofed extensions were of poor construction and in need of being removed.

The design aimed to create a contemporary composition using traditional forms. The site layout is inspired by the traditional courtyard farmyards.

The use of the footprint and structure of the original 1960’s house promoted environmental sustainability and reduce costs. The existing corridor was maintained but the entrance was relocated to north. The existing hip roof was altered to a gable roof to create a more traditional and interesting form. The south end of the house was transformed to create the main living space taking advantage of good solar orientation and encouraging a strong relationship between outside and inside of the house.

The house layout was reconfigured to maximise passive solar gain and natural lighting. The existing original structure was re-used as much as possible to reduce the volume of demolition waste which means more energy and materials were saved and less debris ended up in landfills.

The Building Energy Rating (BER) was originally G and it was improved to A3.