Designed for a modest and eclectic couple from very different backgrounds this house attempts to provide a home space that captures and frames the dramatic ocean views and provides an interior that brings together the best of two diverse cultures. A raised Japanese tatami perch with a dramatic view of the wild Atlantic Ocean overlooks an Irish kitchen living dining space.

Located in the rugged coastline of Donegal and  referencing a genuine indigenous history this dwelling is conceived as a contemporary interpretation of a fishing cottage perched on a stone base on the hillside, This modest house of 178sqm is a simple longhouse vernacular form with steep pitched roof and a narrow single room deep plan. The house is visually and physically anchored between the two main features of the site namely the existing walled garden on the North and the Southern rock outcrop which are linked by an upper paved terrace. Seeking to take advantage of the views over the bay, integrate the building mass into the sloping site and scale of the adjacent building forms, the accommodation is split over two levels with the upper level containing all main living quarters and benefitting from views. This level appears as a single storey cottage from the Eastern boundary. A lower level of less than half the size of the main living level provides a lower garden entrance and sleeping accommodation.

The upper level is clad in a uniform dark metal taking reference from simple coastal industrial materials. The lower level is clad in stone and grounds the dwelling to its rocky context. Distribution of large and small openings respond to the orientation of the building to take advantage of the sun to the south and views to the West. North and Eastern facades have smaller openings to afford privacy and reduce energy loss. The large area of glazing to the West while not prevalent in the adjacent architecture is of a form that accentuates the vernacular shape of the building and is genuinely consistent with the reference to an indigenous fishing industry legacy.

In architectural terms, internally preserving the quality of the church space was in no conflict at all with our new brief and the choice of using modern materials on the interior seemed an honest way to add its new layer of life and purpose. The annex required a humble but not diminished presence so that it had the integrity to sit next to the church but in a polite way. What better way for this country old countryside meeting place for farm labourers and blacksmiths than by using the image of an elegant modern barn.