This project is a mixed-use scheme, designed during my fourth year in college. The site was located on the western flank of a new public space in Cavan Town centre. It consists of a museum/gallery space at basement level, cafe at plaza level, and apartments on the upper floors.
The building creates a horizontal datum to juxtapose the vertical one of a nearby tower, a remainder from a medieval church and graveyard. The layering of the brief program is determined by a combination of function + historical context: A concrete datum relates to the former stone boundary wall; A timber datum brings a new element and life to the urban composition.
Designed for those who enjoy urban living, the apartments give occupiers the freedom to control how busy/tranquil the interior is and also the degree of exposure to the world outside. This is achieved through the use of a system of external sliding shutters. The energy rating of the apartments was A2, greatly exceeding that required by the brief.
