An Gaelaras
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Dennis Gilbert (website) Download Original
Irish language arts and cultural centre on a constrained site in the historic centre of Derry
The building includes a reception, shop, cafe and performance space, located on the ground floors, while back stage facilities, start up offices, teaching spaces and boardroom offices are placed on the upper floors.
The rectangular site is contained on three sides with one narrow end facing the street. A continuous terrazzo floor connects the footpath to the building interior, minimising the barrier between outside and in.
A glass roofed board marked concrete trapezoidal courtyard is carved through the four floors of the building with stairs, bridges and platforms crossing and overlook the skylit volume.
The external street facade and internal courtyard structure are board marked concrete, cast against a formwork of horizontal timber boards that refer to the dimensions of traditional brick visible along the street. Glazed screens to the facade and courtyards are powder-coated aluminium.
Data
- Begun: Jan 2008
- Completed: Jul 2009
- Floor area: 1,980m2
- Sector: Arts and culture
- Total cost: £2.8M
- Procurement: JCT
- CO2 Emissions: 42kg/m2/year
- Address: 37 Great James Street, Londonderrry, Derry, BT48 7DB, United Kingdom
Professional Team 
- Architect: O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects
- Client: An Gaelaras
- Structural engineer: Albert Fry Associates
- Services engineer: IN2 Engineering Design Partnership
- Quantity surveyor: Sammons Surveyors
- Main contractor: JPM Contracts Ltd
- Project manager: Sammons Surveyors
- Project supervisor: Hasco Europe Limited
- Fire consultant: Fire Cert
Suppliers
- Mechanical services: Michael Nugent Ltd
- Electrical Contractor: P&L Electrics
- Aluminium windows: WFM Ltd
- Lift: Olympic Lifts Ltd
- Concrete: CEMEX
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