DANIEL WRIGHT

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DALY HOUSE l KINSALE

O ROURKE HOUSE l KINSALE

HOSTEL l COMERAGH MOUNTAINS

APARTMENTS l VIKING TRIANGLE

COMMUNITY BATHS l CAHIR

HIKERS SHELTER l COPPER COAST

MARINE MAMMAL CENTER l BOATSTRAND

RIAI COMPETITION l WATERFORD CITY

THESIS: POROUS EDGE l KILLBARRY LANDFILL

CONTENTS

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BUILT PROJECTS

COLLEGE PROJECTS

EMPLOYMENT

DALY HOUSE l KINSALE 02

My clients wished to build a compact, economi-cal home on a site near the sea in Kinsale. The house is planned according to passive prin-ciples. A balance is struck between large and small openings, the fenestration is dominated by the simple geometry of the square, and adja-cent openable panes with a vertical emphasis. Extensive floor to ceiling glazing on the south and west facades catches sunlight, and views of the wooded glade, and even a glimpse of Kinsale harbour, down the valley. To this end the upstairs loft becomes a lounge to grant this fantastic birds nest of a room, with views over tree tops and a vast vaulted ceiling, a place in the families daily life.

The simple form of the house minimises it’s impact on this scenic landscape, as does it’s location in the base of the valley. In deep winter the sun rarely reaches the valley floor, so a void was concieved in the heavily glazed southwest dormer corner to catch some winter sun from above. Entry is behind a cedar clad ‘spirit wall’, with it’s high ceiling it truly acts as a transition between worlds.

I was asked to design a new home for the O Rourkes. This applica-tion came in light of the refusal of an appeal to an bord pleanala, on an adjacent site. This was a fantastic challenge for me, eventu-ally liasing with all parties lead to an ideal solution. From the site, views of Kinsale harbour were available to the west while to south, views of the surrounding, pastoral valley. Visibility from the road, a designated scenic route, and from the harbour were important considerations. The house was conceived as two elements. A prominent, crisply rendered south facing, pitched roof Living block. Contrasted against a stone clad, west facing Sleeping/family block, with low pitched roof set into the hillside. This language is borrowed from the local farmsteads, where often a proud and well proportioned dwelling house sits among lesser outbuildings, anchoring it in the landscape. The design was limited to a single storey, this initially considered a problem actually facilitated the creation of quality spaces. For instance vaulted ceilings in all major rooms, revealing an exquisite glulam roof structure. Further to this, the ground plane allows most rooms privileged connection to the surrounding landscape.A recessed porch donates a blurring of the critical threshold between living room and valley - ocean vistas at the climax of the western axis.

O ROURKE HOUSE l KINSALE

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The site for this hostel was Mahon Bridge, in the foot hills of the Comeragh Mountains. The hostel was to act as a temporary home for the many hikers and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy the mountainous hinterland. My response was a slender timber tower, with dorms elevated above a communal enclosure on the ground.

The fundamentals of tower design became apparent early in the design. The pursuit of a slender tpwer exposed the tensions between aesthetic and economy , thus began much adjusting of the ratio between floor plan and circulation core. Early designs were overly concerned with form. This pursuit of an organic form, lead to the pinecone. The regularity of two floor plans, when alternated provided an overall impression of irregularity. The final design would discard this innova-tion in favour of a floor plan dictated by the minimum unit of the hostel, the bed.Ascending to a place of peace and perspective the ‘summit’ in this instance the dorm/ bed lead the de-sign. This is evident in the final design, the staggered layout of beds offers views, but also a gentle sense of territory and privacy within each niche.

HOSTEL l COMERAGH MOUNTAINS

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I - Photographs of modelll - Concept sketch, tower floor planlll - Initial concept for pinecone tower

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The site for this project was a confined corner site, at two sides the neighbours had greedily punctured their party walls with windows. As well as keeping a distance from these openings I felt the whole scheme should address this context by being a translucent and porous structure. This lead to an exploration of poly-carbonate as a building material, and in the second half of the project, the integration of light moderating brise soileil was investigated through model making. (fig. ll).

It was important that the new building would respect the neighbouring ecclesiastical buildings, A public space is created by stepping back at the corner to allow for the appreciation of St.Patricks Cathedral’s facade. Placing the new building perpendicular to the gable of St. Olafs, with it’s intricate stained glass window, allows this axis to dominate this new public space (fig. I).

APARTMENTS l VIKING TRIANGLE

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I - Gable of St.Olafs, new scheme on leftll - Brise soileillll - Concept sketches for circulation/outdoor spacesIV - View of apartments from St.Patricks

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I - 1:50 Sectionll - 1:200 Section

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COMMUNITY BATHS l CAHIR

This project fills a missing tooth in the terrace of Castle street, Cahir with a community swimming pool and diving platform. The recreational brief aspired to promote a healthy lifestyle. My goal was to reinstate bathing as a ritual connecting mankind with the natural world. The timber framed polycarbonate enclosure is designed such that it’s regular structure casts a wicker net of apparently organic shadows upon the water. The high rub-ble stone walls surrounding the site already suggested a container to be filled, bathers floating at this level, would have views over the wall, down toward the river and Cahir castle. A one metre set back from, accommo-dates the depth of the columns, an infinity pool detail in between. This strip also ensures privacy for the neighbours.

The pubic plaza was designed as a sensual space for the towns people. Oversized steps line the south end of the square creating a limestone sun trap. Below the bottom step a stream trickles, soothing tired feet. Spaces are carved out of the new concrete plinth, a swimming club, a juice bar, and offices open onto the plaza. Between these are recessed reflection pools, fed by babbling cascades, seemingly from the overflowing pool above (fig. I).

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CAHIR

I - 1:50 Sectionll - 1:200 Section

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1:200 First Floor Plan

The brief for this project imagined the creation of a new coastal trail along the copper coast from Tramore to Bunmahon. Along this trail students were challenged to locate and design a pavillion. The focus was sensitive intervention in a special ecology and landscape. Before design began, a group work project identified appropriate sites in each town land using bespoke mapping techniques.

In Annestown the surrounding coastal pasture is the habitat for the rare chough, a red listed bird species. Therefore sensitivity of both shoreline and surround-ing pastures led to a design which was grafted onto the existing car park and the monolithic, battered, sea wall.

HIKERS SHELTER l COPPER COAST NATURAL HERITAGE AREA

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The pavillion is opportunistically Anchored to exist-ing man made forms, a familiar survival tactic in this dynamic realm. The design arises out of an obstacle on the path, a steep bank.The structure is imagined as a threshold or bridge between the lower datum of hard landscaping and the windswept fields to the west. A lower level, cast in situ concrete, with verti-cal timer shuttering, sits seemlessly upon the sea wall, identified only by it’s colour and novel surface texture. This stereotonic ‘cave’ offers shelter from the wind and rain, and a chance to sit, and allow the eyes to adjust to the gloom, and glimpses of the path and the horizon.The upper level is constructed from the timber shuttered used to build the base. Up here shelter is provided from the rain, while winds and views are fil-tered through the slatted larch enclosure. Thus while the geometry, texture and colour is continuous. A distinction is made with solidity, light and dark.

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VI - Ecological mapping of sitell - Species Recorded on sitelll - 1:100 Section through pavillion on existing sea wallIV & V - 3D Renders

MARINE MAMMAL CENTER lBOATSTRANDA windswept peninsula at Boatstrand, Co. Waterford of-fered the perfect site for an interpretive centre and research base for the ‘Irish Whale and Dolphin Group’ and the ‘Irish Seal Sanctuary’. This centre is co-located with the local fishing fleet at Boatstrand to facilitate sharing of informa-tion and infrastructure. An existing cluster of concrete buildings,comprising a bungalow holiday home, outbuildings provide a base for the elevated addition. The new glass roof structures allow for new spaces with uninterrupted views of the horizon. They are also to act as ‘open caskets’ for ceta-ceans who end their lives on Irish shores. A series of outdoor pools provide for the rehabilitation of injured or orphaned seals.

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I - 3D of vertical additions ll - 1:1000 South elevation, as seen from sealll - 3D render of complex as seen from coast roadIV - 3D render showing suspended whale skeletonV - 1:50 section of typical facade

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BOATSTRAND17

1:200 Site Section

This project recycles a typical celtic tiger apartment block into a vi-able piece of an urban community. The design places emphasis on block interior as a space for residents, with partial day time public access. The existing cells are almost exclusively one or two bed, by vertical growth these can become family homes, to this end quality outdoor spaces are provided. In keeping with this ambitious diversifi-cation of is the creation of annexes, to act as mulitgenerational units. Existing functions in block such as the delapidated squash courts are relocated to an empty street frontage, other long empty retail spaces become cooking schools and work spaces.

RIAI COMPETITION l WATERFORD CITY

*SHORTLISTED PROJECT 20

THESIS: POROUS EDGE l KILLBARRY LANDFILLThe planet is a construct of varying levels of human intervention and manipulation. This is especially evi-dent in the Irish landscape. The position of my thesis purported that architecture could forge a greater connection between this landscape and the grow-ing urban/suburban sprawl. As man is part of an ecosystem, satisfactory solutions to our needs can be found in transparent and harmonious relation-ships with our environment. Seemlessly moderated contact rather than isolation.

http://issuu.com/danielwright13/docs/daniel_wright_thesisREAD IT ONLINE:

KILLBARRY LANDFILL

1:500 Ground floor

1:500 Roof Plan

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Richard Rainey ArchitectsDuring the summer of 2007, I secured a position as an intern at Richard Rainey Architects. It taught me much about typical building construction, regulations, planning permissions and various software.

Geraldine Coughlan ArchitectsFollowing this I was employed on a freelance basis by Geraldine Coughlan. I have completed various projects for Geraldine up to the present, most of these involved creating rendered 3ds of residential projects, other work included assisting in the preparation of planning and con-struction drawings, and model making.

EMPLOYMENT

THANK YOU

Daniel Wright

danielwright776@gmail.com

+353872103874