Auburn Cottage is located on Strandhill Road, in Sligo. The existing building consisted of a cottage with later additional extensions added in a mass concrete and stone mix. It is a family home from which the kids have now moved away from and the parents want to adjust the home to their current living requirements. They still operate a montessori school at the rear of the home.

In approaching the design of the home, we demolished the later additions to the home as they did not contribute architecturally or functionally to the cottage. After removing these, we added a new kitchen, utility, bathroom and bedroom to the ground floor at the east side. A multi-use room sits above this at first floor. A glazed corridor is added to the south of the building to take advantage of the solar gains possible. Finally, a bathroom and changing room have been added adjacent to the master bedroom.

The client wished to have a home which performed at a high level energy wise. With this in mind we continued our exploration of specifying natural materials in tandem with innovative building techniques to not only decrease operational carbon, but also embodied carbon. In selecting materials such as timber, straw, cork, wood-fibre and lime, it creates a healthier environment for the occupant also.

Images : NOJI