Design guide · Clare County Council
Clare Rural House Design Guide
The council's guidance on siting and designing a house in the countryside.
Clare County Council · 88 pages
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- 51 Scale A building size should be relative to its surroundings. Its mass should relate proportionately to the landscape setting and site size. Large buildings generally are unlikely to be compatible within a small enclosed site. In the case of larger sites there must be careful consideration of landscape, siting and approval. Traditional estate houses set good examples of how a twostorey dwelling, set back from the road with mature landscape works, can be integrated into the countryside.Designing Your House It is possible to achieve a mixture of styles and sizes in single and clusters of houses if the designer uses selective variations of local styles and features in different permutations. The styles and massing should all be relative to the regional traditional qualities as discussed in chapter 2.
- 52 These dwellings afford good views from inside for the occupier, and the house designs, selective materials and subtle colours create an attractive composition in these particular settings. The bottom illustration shows the importance of design considerations to the rear elevation in an exposed site location.
- 53 Form and Shape A large house close to an existing small house can be overbearing and result in loss of light and privacy as well as disturbing the typology patterns in the rural landscape. Throughout the county there are one and half storey houses which previously may have been single storey. In recent years interpretation of this type has led to the design of the ‘dormer’ type dwelling. The shortcoming of a poorly designed dormer is that it can have an oversized roof and an unbalanced appearance. Often the roofscape of these ‘dormer types’ becomes the dominant feature in the landscape. New houses, especially in the more sensitive areas, should try to emulate the simple traditional forms, while adapting to meet modern needs. In exposed areas with no natural vegetation or topographical features to screen, a single storey building may be the solution.Designing Your House Generally avoid flat roofs or mansard configuration
- 54 Massing & Volume 1. Common Building Forms in the Countryside Positive characteristics to incorporate into modern design; low eaves height, simple plan form to maximise light and circulation, 35–55 degree roof pitch, modest scale maintained throughout, the use of clever massing of volumes, vertical emphasis to windows and gables, use of natural materials, timber, slate, stone, plaster, appropriate plot size. The following sketches illustrate some of the more prominent successful forms in the Clare countryside.
- Designing Your House55 2. Pattern book forms and volumes, which generally sit poorly in rural countryside The general faults include; highly modelled and articulated elevations, high eaves, disproportionate floor to ceiling heights, wide gables, synthetic finishes such as PVC, bulky and low level, plastic cladding, too many fussy details. 3. Poorly designed extensions The following illustrate poor extensions which are larger in width on plan than cross section, extensions that project over the height of the front elevation and shallow flat roof extensions which deepen the plan of the original house affecting light, ventilation and appearance of massing.
- 56 Above: Traditional door types found in the larger estate houses of Clare. Below: The modest doors found in farmhouses. Note the fanlight overhead to provide additional light into hallways. Be mindfull of detail and stylistic approaches in the vicinity of the proposed site.
- 57 Proportion The proportions of a building are governed by height, width, and roof shape along with the positioning of projections and openings such as doors, windows, porches, sun rooms, chimneys and other features. There is a huge range of window, door and chimney styles throughout Clare and these differ from region to region. The consistent element is the relative proportion of the features and the detail finish. For example, in the Doonbeg area the chimneys are simple plastered variety whereas in the Killaloe region there may be the introduction of a brick course for pattern. Windows in West Clare often have decorative plaster surrounds. Windows and fascias in East Clare have more of an emphasis on carpentry detail. It is the skill of the designer and planner which should be employed to analyse and apply appropriate designs for a selected site region.Designing Your House Some decorative chimney types found throughout Clare. There are many ranges and types of windows which can be used. Reference should be made to Building Regulation documents in relation to opening sizes required in new dwellings.
- 58 Construction Techniques and Energy Efficiency House Design links the home to many aspects of life: food, procreation, health, work, transport, education, creativity, energy, waste, pollution, global warming and so on. This makes the home a platform for sustainable design and the consideration of the biodiversity aspects of design within the home. In terms of design and layout, careful sizing and orientation of windows and walls can provide high levels of insulation and save on energy and heating costs. The use of solar panels to create heat and hot water is already in widespread use in parts of Ireland. Wind, small-scale hydro, and biomass systems can also be used where appropriate. There are now limited grants for such technologies available from the Irish Energy Centre. Saving energy saves money, a benefit that will increase as electricity and heating fuel charges rise. Also, of course, since most energy in use now produces pollution, switching to renewable sources doubly benefits the environment Sustainable Development: Development which meets the needs of the present community without compromising the ability of future communities to meet their needs. 1987 World Commission There are many aspects of environmental design which can be incorporated such as the use of high performance insulation, solar panels (as highlighted in this illustration), water conservation and use of natural earth products
- 59 Environmentally Sustainable Design Buildings should be designed with flexibility and adaptability in mind. Sustainability of design should be considered to optimise energy performance and reduce CO2 emissions in line with the standards required to comply with the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. The standards developed to comply with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive will enable the calculation and certification of the energy efficiency of new houses and this information will then be required as part of the planning application. Building regulations contain guidelines on how energy conservation requirements should be met. Architects and designers will be able to advise on the new requirements applicable. Checklist: Energy & Environmental Sustainability CONSIDERATIONS CHECK Local Facilities: Schools, shops, bus networks etc, water, sewage •Prominence: Avoid hilltop location. Address local landscape typology. •Energy: Minimise need for artificial light, avoid mechanical ventilation, conserve water. •Sun/Orientation: Use orientation wisely. Map out sun path on site. •Shelter: Use existing landscape characteristics where possible. •Access: Have regard to existing boundaries and integrate where possible. •Power: Assess proximity of nearest power source. Consider use of wind/solar power. •Water: Have regard to adjacent watercourses. •Telecom: Assess proximity of nearest telecom source. •Drainage: Assess suitability of site. Avoid dumping waste. •Ancillary design: Consider spaces for fuel storage, TV aerials, clothes drying, recycling area, refuse storage. •Eco-system: Consider the house as an Eco system. •Recycle: Reduce and reuse household waste where possible. •Use Earth products: Slate, timber, lime, water based paints •Designing Your House Construction Sustainability: In the interest of sustainability, care should be taken to reduce the energy and pollution required to provide a dwelling. Consider the production, transport and disposal of materials. Demolition materials may be re-used on-site, natural materials used for doors, windows, roof and walls. Use natural vegetation for boundaries, screening and entrance where possible. Consider repairing / extending existing buildings before new option.
- 60 Inappropriate House Design for Rural Settings Bungalow types were greatly influenced by foreign suburban house catalogues which became available in the 1960s & 70s. Identified by a large mixture of materials, disproportionate windows, low pitched roofs, linear uneconomical plan and rigid siting, many bear little or no reference to the older house types of Clare. Familiarise yourself with the house types and materials prevalent in your locality
Source Clare County Council: Clare Rural House Design Guide · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.