Barneys Ruins

A bold piece of architecture which would completely contrast the 200-year-old Irish cottage ruins. The original cottage was last lived in by the clients great-great uncle Barney, hence the name. The clients were determined to protect the importance of the site and in keeping the walls of the cottage, create a building that gently floats above the stone walls without any disruption. And by fusing old and new, give the Irish clachan a new lease of life in the 21st century preserving its history. The house has been designed as a retreat for the clients, and occasionally the wider public. In time, it is the intention that the house will serve as a retirement home. The house could be viewed as an ’extension‘ of the original cottage, throwing it into the 21st century. The restoration and preservation of this dilapidated clachan has extended its lifecycle preserving its history in the local community and that of the clients’ ancestors. The design called for an out of the box thinking and creativity to turn the clients’ ambitions into reality. To cantilever over the ruins the simple building sits atop a set of steel columns, projecting into the wild flower meadow and illuminating like a dazzling nocturnal installation, appearing to float across the landscape at night, like magic. The old barn adjacent has been converted into a guest annex, reusing the existing stone wall structure with a shuttered concrete fireplace and chimney breast, topped with a galvanised corrugated steel roof, a nod to its agricultural past. The client wanted to preserve the character of the small annex with the mood considerably dark and eery in comparison to the bright modern cantilevered house.