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“ I was never a poet, but Glasnevin makes one.”

Margaret Alyward

Planning Report- Architectural Description

Proposed Spirituality Centre,Holy Faith Congregation, Glasnevin

October 2010

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Holy Faith Spirituality Centre, Glasnevin, Dublin 9

The Holy Faith congregation, located at Alyward House, Glasnevin wish to develop a Spirituality Centre on their grounds at Old Finglas Road, Glasnevin.

The site is in a unique setting, located within a 10 hectare green field site with dramatic panoramic views overlooking the National Botanical Gardens, GlasnevinCemetery and Dublin City.

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Site:

The site is bordered by the Old Finglas Road to the north, the Tolka river to the south and residential developments to the east and west.

The site contains the Holy Faith Congregation’s worldwide headquarters at Alyward House, Holy Faith Convent, Chapel and nursing home as well as St Brigid’s GNS primary school and St Mary‘s secondary school.

The site conciliates existing community facilities with mature river corridor lands, and represents one of the finest green field sites in North Dublin. Located opposite the Botanic Gardens and overlooking Glasnevincemetery the site provides an educational and recreational oasis in this highly sought after residential area.

The site is extensively sloped, is south facing and has many different character areas within it. It has a unique ecological setting and is an ideal setting for a spirituality centre.

Site

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Project Brief:

The Spirituality Centre will be a bright and tranquil place for reflective prayer, holistic therapies, counselling, conversations and conferences for the order, colleagues and the wider community.

It will be an inspirational space which provides an immediate sense of engagement for a broad spectrum of visitors and participants, offering a welcome to all who wish to refresh and renew themselves in a place of natural beauty and rich cultural tradition.

Its primary purpose is the moving forward of the mission of the Holy Faith Congregation.

What is it for?

Moving forward the mission of Holy Faith…..

Site 1

Brief

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User Groups:

The Spirituality Centre will be made available to a broad range of users including the Holy Faith Sisters, Associates, Prayer Partners, lay colleagues and others. Educational links to school groups will also be made.

The primary use will be grounded in a spirituality based on right relationship, justice and care of creation. The design of the centre reflects this ethos and also reflects a strong relationship with the surrounding site and context.The user groups will include the following interested parties and uses:

• Sisters of the Holy Faith Congregation• Information on the Order and their work nationally and internationally• Counselling, Spiritual accompaniment etc.• Le Chéile school groups• Heritage Groups• Schools and Educational Groups• Faith groups including education, development, sharing etc.• Day retreats and prayer partners• Inter Religious dialogue gatherings• Ecology and Justice Groups• Parish Community Groups• Older People gatherings• University of Third Age• Groups initiating their own projects which reflect the ethos of the Centre• Possible archiving uses

Who is it for?

Sisters of the Holy faithAssociatesPrayer Partners

The Community

Parish CommunityGroups

A place for the City

Inter Religious DialogueEcology andJustice Groups

University of theThird age

Heritage Groups

Schools

Prayer Partners

Lay Colleagues

Day Retreats

Brief

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Architectural Design:

The brief for the building was prepared by the Sisters of Holy Faith based on their ownrequirements and based on group dialogueand consensus. The brief comprises490sqm approx of the following uses:

Accommodation Schedule:

1.1 Reception/Waiting Area 1.2 Office1.3 Therapy Room1.4 Counseling Room1.5 Lecture Space/Forum 40/50 1.6 Multi-purpose Space 1.7 Kitchenette to serve MPS1.8 Sacred Space1.9 Toilets1.10 Storage

Relationship of Existing Trees

Where is the Site?Path to ‘Sacred site’

Relationship toBotanic Gardens

Relationship to Existing buildings

Orientation

Micro-Climate

Views

Connecting with the Historyof the site

Shadow casting

Seasonal use

Brief

Art Therapy

Waste/ Services/toilets

Parking

Therapy Room-Counselling-Holistic therapy- dance

Sub-division Of large space

Storage

Sacred Space 40-50 people-lecture space

ArchiveKitchenette

Reception/waitingCloakroom

Sharing meals

Brief

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Winter

Spring

Design:

The design of the new Spirituality Centre is based on providing an uplifting and inspirational internal environment, a retreat and space for contemplation.

Given the unique landscape setting of the site we have located the new facility as a pavilion or folly within a park. It is sited on a south facing slope to exploit the dramatic panoramic views over the Botanic Gardens and the Dublin skyline. The main glazed areas of the centre exploit this view and orientation.

The siting of the building on the site has been given careful consideration. Our approach is consistent with site planning of early 18th Century houses and their relationship with their demesne and landscape. As such the centre is conceived as a folly in the grounds of the original 18th

demesne, one that is glimpsed behind trees and set within the landscape and as part of the original network of paths and routes. Furthermore we have located the centre so as not to detract from the original 18th

Century Protected Structure and to protect its vista and view.

Design

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Design Concept:

The concept for the building is many-fold, it is a pavilion or folly in a park, a light lantern and a journey of discovery.

Light Lantern:

The symbol of the Holy Faith Congregation is the light lantern that Margaret Alyward, the founder of the order, used as a beacon of hope during her imprisonment in Grangegorman female penitentiary in 1860.

The proposed design envisages that the building will metaphorically act as a form of lantern and that the main sacred space, which is rooflit, will act as a beacon of light.

Through brise soleil, opal glass and sensitive lighting the sacred space will illuminate in a play of shadow and light.

Out of the darkness comes the light….

Design

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Journey of Discovery:

The building plan has been laid out to provide a journey of discovery. The route starts in the grounds of the convent and the approach to the building is off-set through the existing trees and path to the west of the site. The building is removed from the other Institutional buildings and is set as a building folly in the landscape. The external ramp directs visitors to the main reception area. The plan geometry has been carefully laid out to direct visitors via internal ramps past the counseling room, lecture space to the main multi-purpose space and sacred space above.

Framed Views:

The orientation of windows and circulation routes have been careful placed to provide framed views of local architectural landmarks and natural features such as the O’Connell monument in Glasnevincemetery, the pyramid roof of the Church of our Lady of Dolours, the Lebanese Tree on the grounds and the Palm house in the Botanical Gardens.

The Journey of the building

Labyrinth

Every path opens out to a framed view of the landscape

The building tells the story of the journey

Design

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Connection with Nature:

Central to the design of the centre is its relationship and connection with nature and the surrounding environment.

Careful consideration has been given to the siting of the building and its relationship with the strong site contours and topography. The building is located off the original 18th Century footpath and will form a part of the journey through the grounds.

The reception area is located at a half level below the sacred space and half level above the lecture/multi-purpose space. As such the building follows the slope and gradient of the landscape that it sits on.

Internally all areas of the building are fully wheelchair accessible, without the requirement of a mechanical lift. The green lawn in front of the convent is treated as a precious landscape with minimum building intervention on it. The ramped walkway to the entrance is elevated above the ground and supported off central posts recessed out of visibility.

Connecting with Nature

Design

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Design

In addition the outer walls of the spirituality centre are elevated above the ground and cantilevered off recessed columns, thus giving the impression that the building floats above the green lawn. The plan configuration is like an unfolding flower, with the outer petals being elevated above the ground and the central bud being represented by the more vertical sacred space.

On the south western façade a sliding screen off the ramp will allow access to an out-door terraced area which can used for contemplation and small groups. The terrace will be in close proximity to the trees on the western edge of the site and will give a close connection to nature.It is also proposed that a larger out-door terraced area is provided at roof level off the sacred space. This will provide very dramatic panoramic views and will also allow access to the green roofs for maintenance.

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Sustainability

Green and Sustainable Design:

Given the sensitive nature of the site a strong ecological sensitive and sustainable design solution has been sought. The spirituality centre will maximize the following principles of green and sustainable design:

• Provide an airtight building to minimize heat loss and draughts. • The building should achieve an air tightness of 3.5m3 (hr.m2) at a test pressure of 50Pa.• Provide a high level of insulation to the external envelope with a low u-value.• Provide a managed and controlled natural ventilation system with heat recovery unit.• Provide photovoltaic panels to provide domestic hot water.• Provide a naturally ventilated building with no artificial cooling.• Maximize solar gain through extent and location of glazing, not to exceed 30%.• Maximize the sites orientation on a south facing slope.• Provide Brise Soleil to minimize overheating in exposed glazing areas.• Target a ‘BREEAM’ rating of very good to excellent.• Provide a carbon neutral form of space heating system.• Provide attenuation for rain water through green roof technology.• Explore use of grey water for toilets.• Use usage sensors and dual flushing on all toilets.• Target an annual energy consumption of 100kwh/m2/yr or better• Specify and use low energy appliance• Minimize the footprint of the building on the site.

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Services

Foul Drainage:

See DBFL drainage report and drawings.

In summary it is proposed to take the foul drainage from the new building to the existing manhole No. 23 marked on the site plan.

The floor level of the new proposed toilet area is at 24.125 OD and the invert level within MH No. 23 is 22.970 OD which will provide sufficient fall.

The wastes from the small kitchenette on the lower floor level at approx. 23.450 OD can also fall into this manhole.

The foul drain will connect into the existing 300mm diameter sewer which runs on the Old Finglas Road.

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Drainage

Sacred space as beacon

Surface Water Drainage:

See DBFL drainage report and drawings.

Surface water will be collected in the attenuation area on the grass/sedum roof as part of a sustainable urban drainage system.

Excess water will drain into a percolation area located within the grounds of the convent or as part of a landscaped swale or filter drain as an open and shallow detention basin.

The attenuation storage capacity on the roof should minimize the run off into the percolation area and is dependant on the depth of roof provided.

The site is on a high elevation and is not susceptible to flooding from the Tolka. i.e. the 2002 flooding of the Tolka occurred at a datum of 14.0m OD. Our site is approx. 10m above this level.

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Materials

Construction:

External Materials:

The building is situated in a very sensitive landscape condition, surrounded by trees and the historic context of the convent and chapel.

As a ‘pavilion or folly in a park’ the new building does not try to compete with the existing architecture around it or try to mimic it.

The current façades of the convent, chapel, nursing home and other buildings are all inter-connected but use an adhoc variety of different red bricks.

It was not appropriate to introduce yet another type of red brick for the spirituality centre. Neither was it felt appropriate to make a strong architectural statement that would detract or compete with the existing buildings. Instead the design tries to reflect the wonderful landscape that surrounds it.

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Materials

The external walls are therefore clad in a white reflective glass which will reflect the trees, landscaping and buildings around it. In general the windows are contained between the overlapping cranked walls and frame views and vistas of the external environment.

Anodised aluminium vertical mullions are used as external sun and privacy screens to the counseling and therapy rooms.

The Sacred Space sits as a vertical lantern surrounded by the lower overlapping perimeter walls. The vertical form will be clad externally in a bronze coated/metal panel on cladding rails fixed to a reinforced concrete structure. Louvred roof rights and large glazed sections will allow the form to be illuminated at night.

The cantilevered perimeter walls will sit on concrete columns and piles set back from the building edge to allow the building to float above the green lawn.

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Internal Materials:

It is proposed to use a combination of timber cladding and lining to contrast against the exposed board marked concrete walls used to construct the central sacred space. Other internal walls will be painted sand and cement render. The simple palette of natural materials will create spaces of tranquility and ease.

Parking Requirements:

The car parking requirements for the Holy Faith site are dictated by the current Development Plan 2005-2011 which places the site in Zone 3 and Map J. The parking requirements for a cultural/ recreational use such as the spirituality centre are covered by the requirement to have 1 space per 100sqm. As the proposed development is 490sqm approx. we will be providing 5No. car parking spaces adjacent to the centre beside St Mary’s car park area. One of these spaces will be allocated for disabled drivers.It is also proposed to provide a drop off point for visitors and servicing adjacent to the entry path to the centre.

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Model Photos

Approach showing raised walkway

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Model Photos

Overview of Entrance Area

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Aerial view without roof

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Aerial view without roof

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Aerial view without roof

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View of external terrace off internal ramp

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Perspective view

View from south

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Perspective view

View from west

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Sketch model

Model views