paul duncan architect projects 2003-2011

PA U L D U N C A N A r c h i t e c tP r o j e c t s2 0 0 3 - 2 0 1 1

1. HOUSES

House in ArticlaveHouse in ArticlaveHouse in Kells, BallymenaHouse in BallymoneyHouse in BallymoneyHouse in GarvaghHouse in LimavadyHouse in GarvaghHouse in PortrushHouse in CastlerockHouse in PortstewartHouse in BallymoneyHouse in DoaghHouse in PortrushInfi ll House, The EsplanadeMill Restoration in ColeraineExtension to a subterranean dwelling in Portstewart

2. RURAL HOUSES

Rural House No.1Rural House No.2Rural House No.3

3. HOUSING

Apartments in ColeraineApartments in ColeraineHousing in PortrushClachan Housing in GlenoApartments in PortrushApartments in ColeraineHousing in KilreaApartments in PortrushApartments in PortrushApartments in PortstewartHousing in DunloyApartments in Ballymena

Housing in BallymenaHousing in NewtownardsHousing in PortrushHousing in DungivenHousing in TobermoreHousing in MagherafeltHousing in AntrimHousing in BallymoneyApartments in PortrushApartments in CloughmillsHousing in BroughshaneHousing in ColeraineConcept Garden HousingConcept HousesPOD houseSplit HouseFlood House Design

4. PUBLIC AND SERVICE BUILDINGS

Retail, Apartments and hotel extension in Portrush – FeasibilityCommunity Centre at CloughmillsOffi ces in BallymoneyRoof Terrace Cafe – FeasibilityProposed bedroom, conference and dining room extension to Rathmullan HouseCivic Offi ces and Conference Centre - Coleraine

5. COMPETITIONS

Code 5 Housing Competition - CarryduffFuture Works Housing Competition - Ebbw Vale WalesGiant’s Causeway Visitor Centre

6. MACKINTOSH SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS

Scottish Photographic Gallery in GlasgowProposed Urban Bath - Glasgow

1. HOUSES

The uses that a home must fulfil are – cooking, relaxation, personal hygiene, interaction with people, offer protection / shelter etc…

However the solutions for tackling these become very different for each individual project and as a result, no specific formula can be established to define how a home should be.

A house is conceived – and drawn up – with many considerations in mind. The design is adapted to the typography of the site, the climate, orientation, the budget and the needs of its future inhabit-ants. Even though these elements will affect its eventual form, they are not definitive as the architect will use different strategies to solve each problem.

Some of the homes included, combine multi spaces within a single space, while other designs separate the day-time and the night-time spaces or even those spaces which are used for work and leisure. Some of the projects are designed as a continuation of its settings, in that the garden or terrace seems to become an additional room or treated as a natural exterior room and windows with extensive glass are inserted to help picture frame the landscape.

In some cases the spaces are defined by the horizontal floor planes and in others the staircase is the vertical axis that interconnects the entire house. All of which gives the house a unique tailor made environment for the client.

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“We can say that we are all experts on

houses, because we live and work in them every day of our lives.“

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2. RURAL HOUSES - EXAMPLES

Identifying a suitable site is as important as the design of the dwelling. The suitability of the site will depend on the development use, size, locality, landscaping, and vegetation, historical and local issues. It is important to identity good and bad examples of sites and learn from them, highlighting the aspects of the particular site and what makes it ‘right’.

Thankfully the whole of Ireland has beautiful and natural countryside, and the reality is that one design that suits one locality will not necessarily work in another. An example of this is integration in some sites that have nothing but shrubs and hedges and very little in the way of mature trees, therefore a way of using the typography of the site would be a possible solution, or the other situation is where the design is integrated within an existing farm settlement.

Houses should be built in particular places for a reason. They should enjoy solar gain in order to provide passive heat gain to the user, they should shelter themselves from the wind, and they should provide defence and protection for the garden to grow and produce fruit and vegetables, and even be close to others in order to share resources e.g. Clachan development

Even a sensitive site can become a blot, if treated incorrectly. It is important that meaningful site analyses should be undertaken with all rural developments. In this, consideration should be given to vegetation, orientation, visual integration, suitability, sustainability (i.e. passive solar gain etc.), local character, topography, views etc. That is to say, the proposed development should be developed with and for the site.

Unfortunately replication of house design / style has been a big problem over the recent years. This is in part due to the inability to resist a house type which is not suitable for its location.

Design excellence comes from the site: inspection and analyses of the local area, traditional character, and the benefits of what each site has to offer. We need to have a re-look at what vernacular architecture is: the forms, massing, fenestration, detailing, etc... Vernacular architecture has a consistency: it is this simplicity and near-replication (with each dwelling located & designed for the site) which makes it attractive. There needs to be a consistency in the design and build quality, yet diverse in our approach to each individual site. It is these two qualities combined which will lead rural architecture into the future.

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“Vernacular architecture has a consistency: it is this simplicity and near-replication (with each dwelling located & designed for the site) which makes it attractive.

“

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3. HOUSING

As we are all experts in living in homes, the only difference being that some choose to live isolated in the countryside while others prefer to live in communities, learning to share and to live with one another.

Housing is at the heart of our everyday lives. It binds our com-munities, contributes to our wellbeing and affects our jobs and health opportunities. Not only is it important to get the mecha-nism that we live in, right, it is also just as important to design the spaces that are left over. The public and private spaces are im-portant for the community to thrive, allowing the development to breathe and creating a micro environment within the urban grain.

Housing should not be just about numbers, but good housing should encourage innovation and the use of modern methods of construction, in order to be successful and sustainable.

Whether creating Private or Public housing, the question that is constantly asked is…Would I live there?...If not then maybe it’s back to the drawing board.

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“As we are all experts in living in homes, the only difference being that some choose to live isolated in the countryside while others prefer to live in communities, learning to share and to live with one another.

“

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4. PUBLIC & SERVICE BUILDINGS

It is important to create and define space that can be used and enjoyed by everyone, and not only in creating nice objects to look at. Whether it’s an environment to meet, communicate, re-lax, reminisce or even to work, if it helps people to enjoy life that little bit easier, then it becomes an essential strand of fibre within the built environment.

Before a line is drawn, each building must have a defined pur-pose, a reason to be used and also a definite must is for the building to be sustainable.

It leads us to find the answer to the question... Why a place works and how it will continue to work, serving a purpose and need within the community

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“Before a line is drawn, each building

must have a defined purpose, a reason to exist...“

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5. COMPETITIONS

This is a selection of works carried out for sustainable and environmentally driven competitions.

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“Architecture competitions gives reason

to release the mind full of ideas. “251

6. MACKINTOSH SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS

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“Every idea starts with a thought...“

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paul duncan architect projects 2003-2011

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