Folding House

 A long folding house cranks its way down a lengthy garden plot ceded from the back-lands of a larger holding. In contrast with its more reticent next-door neighbour this house confidently acknowledges its urban context by tightly screening itself to the street and more actively opening at the upper level. What first presents itself as a trumpet-like balcony peering over the perimeter wall to the street becomes the final space of the house – a living room that overlooks Fitzgerald Park and the Daly Suspension Bridge in the distance.

On entering from the street a gravelled courtyard is made for off-street car parking. From here one follows a cranking footpath that tightens and expands against the planted perimeter wall. Continuing along this path the volume of the house creases inwards at its south-facing core to breath light and air into a central double-height roof-lit entrance hall. Here a series of deep roof light baffles play with penetrating and reflected sunlight over the course of the day.

Two principal living spaces are located diagonally in section to either side of this central hall: the ground floor kitchen/dining space with aspect onto the rear garden relates diagonally across the hall to the first floor living space. Likewise the two bedroom spaces of the house occupy the remaining diagonal spaces across the hall. Meanwhile an opportunistic studio pinches space from the rear first floor bedroom to offer a window overlooking the entrance. A rear first floor external terrace also admits light without compromising or overlooking the private amenity of neighbours.

While black paint on render is employed externally, white plastered walls are employed internally to create light-filled spaces. Wall surfaces and ceiling soffits fold and flow connecting interior spaces in a sculptural and plastic manner. Glazed screens are used in bold ways throughout the house, in some instances to fold and compress spaces and in other instances to expand and open the house to views beyond.

Product Description: Natural anodoised aluminium floor-to-ceiling external sliding window and door screens are employed in this house in order to allow for simple bold openings within a rendered blockwork and steel folding form and an ease of access from internal to external spaces.

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