Every old building offers an endless array of opportunities for creativity but as the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI) explains in their new e-publication Old House New Home there are challenges to conserving and re-purposing an older building for contemporary living. However in the right hands these challenges become exciting opportunities for architectural innovation and adventure.
Supported by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Creative Ireland Programme, Old House New Home click here to view offers guidance and advice on repairing and reusing historic buildings. It explains how to conserve period features and make them work for 21st century living and working, while maintaining the amazing character and craftsmanship that come with historic properties.
Old House New Home includes case study projects representing different sizes, conditions, characteristics and locations – from homes in urban and suburban settings, to the adaptation of a farmhouse complex, their yards and outbuildings.
Accompanying the publication a film tells the remarkable stories of five different projects – two urban residences above shops, a Cow House within a Wicklow farmyard, a subdivided Georgian Town House and an Officers’ Mess that was the centre piece of a one of Dublin’s famous army barracks. These projects vary in scale, budget and complexity, but all have been reimagined for 21st century living, while retaining their unique architectural character. The success of many of these case studies is not just in the design of new works but also in the repair and conservation of historic fabric and retention of character.
Another film that accompanies the Old House New Home details the conservation work carried out on behalf of the Dublin Civic Trust at 18 Ormond Quay. This film documents the expertise and care taken by master conservation craftspeople to restore charm and elegance back to a neglected Georgian building on the banks of the River Liffey.
