SILVER BIRCHES

This is a simple contemporary extension to a detached residence in Dundrum Co Dublin. The existing house is the last in a group of a small estate, and is built on the steepest part of the site thereby creating a substantial difference in level between inside floor and outside garden. The extension has been designed to provide additional kitchen space with a utility room and a breakfast/dining area that can have a direct relationship with a patio and the garden level.

The floor level of the new kitchen/dining area has been lowered by some 750mm to provide a transition level between the levels of the main ground floor and the rere garden. The utility room is accommodated as an internal box within this area where the demands for natural light is not so acute. The positioning of glazed areas and over-head rooflights ensure an even gradation of light from interior to exterior with each façade of the box responding differently to the outside environment.

Two external levels of deck and patio permit a further expression of the different internal levels in the external landscape treatment.

The box is finished in pre-patenated copper with hardwood joinery and glazing.

A sense of connectivity between inside and outside is reinforced by the use of a similar stone finish to the floor of the kitchen/dining area and the patio.

Photographs copyright Ros Kavanagh.