2Bernard Brennan B.Arch Architecture Portfolio

n Square; Nineteenth Century

n Square; Currently

n Square; Proposal

Eighteenth century; market square with Palladian market house designed to support agricultural markets which fill the square with activity flowing through the open ground floor. Civic activities would be carried out upstairs.

Currently the square is a car-park. The markets are gone, the large volume of traffic and the sealing of the ground floor of the market house inhibit activity.

Original diagram is critically reinterpreted; a plinth containing civic functions contrasts with the sloping site creating different spatial conditions, while preserving the old building as a signifier of civic activity.

Thesis project A multi-use community project in a medium sized Irish town (Edenderry). This pro-ject won First Prize in the “Integrated Commu-nities: A Society for All Ages” 2012 Competition organized in conjunction with the United Nations and the American Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). Edenderry has historically been an in-dustrial market town and was the site of Ireland’s first peat-fuelled power station. As the town evolves to be a post-industrial community it has experienced a surge in population and develop-ment, but little or no investment in public facil-ities. The intervention attempts to draw energy from the supermarkets, housing developments and workplaces on the outskirts back into the centre through improving pubic space and pro-viding facilities currently missing in the area. It contains a crèche, old people’s day centre, perfor-mance space, sport facilities, covered market area, ceremonial rooms and archive.

The architectural challenge was to make the town’s most important public space; the 19th century Market Square, with a Palladi-an Market house in its centre, into a vibrant area of exchange. The solution I proposed was a re-interpretation of the diagram of horizontal and vertical space by which the space traditionally worked (see diagrams to the right). This evolved into a downward extension of the market house. The roof of this extension forms a plinth which, contrasting with the site’s natural slope, breaks up the large square into more usable spaces. The new building is accessed through deep gardens in the plinth which create a more elegant, taller eleva-tion on the old building (page 5). Inside the Mar-ket house unsympathetic 1990’s modifications are removed and the form of the original plan is restored to make an open public market room at ground floor level and a suite of well-propor-tioned rooms upstairs where civic ceremonies are held (page 7).

DublinEdenderry

3Bernard Brennan B.Arch Architecture Portfolio

Right: Market Square circa 1910, Far right: Market Square viewed from west, Above: Rendering of project from the same view.

4Bernard Brennan B.Arch Architecture Portfolio

Above: Site map showing parking area and new entrance to the north-west of the square, Left: Axonometric projection of square showing ventilation and drainage strategy, Top left: Model photographs.

5Bernard Brennan B.Arch Architecture Portfolio

Plan at plinth level (Footprint of existing building above highlighted in red )1 Old Person’s Day Centre2 Courtyard3 Performance Space4 Sport Facilities (on the story below)5 Crèche

Right: Model photograph of east entrance courtyard

Rendering of West Entrance Courtyard; deep patios reveal a taller, more elegant facade on the old building

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CinemaParking

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6Bernard Brennan B.Arch Architecture Portfolio

Dappled light and views through the plan; the sports Hall with views to the entrance terrace and swimming pool (above), Right: Section AA

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7Bernard Brennan B.Arch Architecture Portfolio

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Attitude to conservation; Continuity rather than differ-ence; the plan is restored to it’s original form. Current plan of market house (Top) and proposed first floor plan (above). Above right; a rendering of the Market room, Right; different activities occur in the ceremonial rooms upstairs...