Part of The KinShip Project by artists LennonTaylor, a Creative Climate Action fund project, this exciting brief challenged architects, artists, designers, eco-builders and craftspeople to create a temporary architectural/sculptural structure to host public meetings and workshops.

After much deliberating, award-winning Fuinneamh Workshop Architects and Civil and Structural Engineering Advisors Ltd have been announced as the winners of this unique competition. The talented team, which includes Wiseman Construction Ltd and students at UCC and MTU, were congratulated on the high standard of their EcoLab proposal to create an architecturally innovative and sustainable temporary structure for the Cork City park. 

Rammed earth: “den talamh”

The winning design, titled “den talamh”, will see the construction of what is believed to be the first public building using rammed earth in Ireland. Rammed earth is a technique used for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials. The EcoLab’s construction is already underway and will be completed in the autumn, on time for a launch programme of ecologically-themed events in October 2022. 

The “den talamh” concept refers to the idea that materials come from the ground and ultimately return to it and so, should be considered for their environmental impact. Primary building materials proposed for the project – earth, wood and reed – have been selected for their regenerative qualities and reuse capabilities. The use of reeds in the thatched roof alludes to the reed plant of the bog on the site. 

The EcoLab will feature a hipped roof and will provide a meeting point and a shelter for future activities in Tramore Valley Park that promote kinship with the natural world.