An Cúlú

Inver, Co. Donegal

The house, aptly named An Cúlú, sits on a cliff edge with Inver Bay as its muse, the panorama of the bay can be enjoyed from almost all key spaces within the home.

When the owners arrive at their weekend retreat, An Cúlú presents as an unassuming cottage. Even though only built in the early 90’s, the original house has all the proportions of the vernacular Irish cottage, and an early decision was made to protect and celebrate the existing form with the juxtaposition of a similar narrow plan form albeit executed in a contemporary manner – two linear blocks sit side by side with a lightweight connection between both. The bulk of the extended home is contained within a narrow seven metre strip to the rear of the original house before the cliff steeply falls away. A discreet garage and link extends quietly to the side of the house.

If we forget about the building for a moment, ultimately An Cúlú is about the site in which it sits and its emotional connection with the client – the architecture is there to capture that and a sense of place. You are drawn to appreciate this unique place because it is almost impossible not to connect with the natural environment here. The existing house has a strong solid to void ratio with small modest vertical emphasis windows, the new extension has an expanse of glazing that strikes a perfect balance between inside and out, whichever way you look. An Cúlú takes the homeowners on a journey, arriving on the humble north side of the house, moving through a series of small and intimate spaces to arrive in to the bright open – plan extension and be fully immersed in the seascape. A curved wall wrapped in timber adds intrigue and drama as the seascape reveals itself. The spaces in the original house become the bedrooms and the extended floor area is given over to living spaces overlooking Inver Bay.

Although small in scale, the project fuses architecture with engineering to help mask where the building ends and the cliff begins. The rear boundary wall of the extension extends 3.5m below ground onto bedrock and a cantilevered deck projects beyond the sloping terrain as it reaches towards Inver Bay.

The living area enjoys 220 degrees of full height panorama with little or no structure interrupting the sea views – to compensate, extensive steel reinforcement is buried within the solid walls.

The living space opens directly onto a south-western deck area, an ‘external room’ defined by the rear white rendered wall of the existing cottage on one side and the pre-weathered cedar rainscreen cladding of the extension on the other. Materials, textures, and tones externally were chosen to sit naturally in the surroundings, to sit respectfully with the cottage and heighten the experience of the surroundings. The material palette inside is consistent with the exterior, creating a seamless transition between both.

The homeowners desired a home where they can unwind and entertain family and friends. An Cúlú, is a luxurious retreat but never strikes a pose or adopts an attitude – there are no laboured complexities in its form or plan, just a sequence of simple spaces and volumes that immerse the homeowners in its unique setting.

The project featured on RTE’s ‘My Bungalow Bliss’ Full details of the renovation and suppliers are available here.

https://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/1262697-my-bungalow-bliss/