Design guide · Cork County Council
Cork Rural Design Guide
The council's guidance on siting and designing a house in the countryside.
Cork County Council · 128 pages
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- 69 Spatial Diversity - Departing from the double deep plan facilitates spatial interest. These dynamic and contemporary interiors are based on the narrow plan form. Contemporary open plan within traditional form Contemporary house with traditional form. The narrow plan house avoids the need for excessively tall, or shallow pitched roofs. The narrow plan form reduces the need for an excavated platform The house elements are broken down and follow the contours Extensions and additions should be directed to the gable end or rear elevation 101 102 103 104
- 70 the deep plan form in a rural context As seen earlier, the double room depth plan is the format used for most new rural houses today, due to efficiency in maximising rooms under one large roof. The consequence of this however, is that new single and two storey houses tend to be at odds with our Cork vernacular. Here we examine reworking a typical double deep house, whilst still maintaining a similar number of rooms, area and other efficiencies. On this page a 12.2m (40’) x 9m (30’) plan footprint is maintained, while a better proportioned houses is achieved by using traditional gable dimensions with lean-to roof and other modifications. f first floor south eastt firs ground floor west (rear) north 2 Storey House - 180 m2 or (1940 sq ft) plus conservatory larger variant part of the same family - using traditional gable dimensions a deep house plan can complement its simple forebears north west south east 37.5o N
- 71 alternative traditional types The problem presented by the double room deep plan house type within the Cork countryside is essentially one of form and scale. The typical roof form generated by this plan type is an overly dominant feature of such houses. Combinations of hipped roofs and deep overhanging eaves exacerbate the problem and result in over sized and out of scale roofs. These examples show that elegantly simple rural house designs can accommodate the double room depth footprint (12.2m x9m, or 40’ x30’), yet remain faithful to Cork’s heritage. These will sit better in the countryside than most patternbook designs. As with the example on the facing page, this example uses traditional gable dimensions with a rear lean-to roof. Whilst not advocating that all new houses should be traditional, this illustration serves to demonstrate that good proportioning is possible for larger houses. A more contemporary and innovative interpretation of the deep plan form is explored in the Appendix of this document by Mary Kerrigan Frank Harkin Architects. If well detailed, these types would be more suitable than most pattern book models for those who do not wish to employ a designer. part of the same family simple central chimney eaves dormer with bay windows single eaves dormer thin eaves dormer with porch c.1870 mm high sash, top opening escape, bottom sash fixed N firs first floor sidet 2 Storey House - 186 m2 or (2000 sq ft) plus conservatory variants of the same plan f irs ground floor front
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- 73 Opposite page: Castlepark, Kinsale - a superb study of form, scale, proportion and detail. A notable feature of Castlepark is the way in which the architect achieved a very high solid-to-void relationship (i.e. large areas of masonry) whilst at the same time managing to incorporate large glazed openings carefully balanced by use of rooflights. design summary & checklist have you: Developed a house that is simple in its form - is the form related to rural building forms of Cork? Designed a house that incorporates distinctive characteristics of its location within rural Cork? Achieved attractive proportions in the building design? Developed a plan which will allow a good solid-to-void relationship in its windows and doors? Ensured the house is in scale relative to: its site - does the choice of single or two-storey respond to the character of the site? surrounding buildings - is the scale appropriate to the existing character of the locality? Broken down the massing of the house to articulate different elements in order to reduce its bulk where necessary?
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- 75 good constructionElements: Roofs Chimneys Windows Dormers and Rooflights Doors Porches and Canopies Conservatories and Sunspaces External finishes Stone Colour Summary & Checklist part four * This guide does not address building regulation matters. Designers should satisfy themselves that fire safety and building regulations requirements are met. This may require specialist expertise in some cases.
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- 77 Opposite page: rough cast render applied to surface of building can have a striking effect and protect the structure from the elements. good construction This section is devoted to design detail and construction to focus attention on a range of critical design elements frequently overlooked but which are fundamental to the successful appearance of our new rural homes. These elements are only relevant once the issues of proportion, scale, massing and form have been successfully tackled. The section deals with issues that appear straightforward but are often mishandled, poorly constructed or result in clumsy and The section deals with issues that appear straightforward but are often mishandled, poorly constructed or result in clumsy and ugly detailing. 115 116 119117 118
- 78 roofs - slate, tiles, metal sheeting, thatch, glass, zinc A roof lends a building its distinctive profile. Roofs of Cork rural houses tend to be simple shapes: hipped or gabled, and generally sloped 35º - 55º. Other shapes are of course possible, but only where they are conceived with skill and will be executed with care. The interesting and colourful roofs of Cork rural buildings contribute to the striking architectural characteristics of many local areas. The material used for roofing is an important aspect of local architecture, both functionally and aesthetically. • Blue grey slate, thatch and painted corrugated sheeting are traditional rural Cork roofing materials; • The way the roof edges are constructed is critical to the successful appearance of a house. Today almost 100% of new houses are constructed where the roof sits as a ‘lid’ oversailing the external walls. More often than not these are finished in white PVC, a detail that, perhaps more than any other, sets them part from our rural vernacular context. Traditional rural roof edge details that are low maintenance can be easily achieved today, using painted plaster or dark coloured PVC. This gives new houses a more immediate direct connection with neighbouring buildings and maintains regional identity - something which Cork County Council is anxious to actively encourage; • With the exception of the occasional Victorian house or ornate gate lodge, the edges of Cork rural house roofs tended to be very simply treated. For this reason scalloped or ornate fascias are generally to be avoided; • Care is also required with thick format roof tiles; these are more suited to large simple roofs only. Small format roofing tiles/slates are the best material for smaller roofs, such as bay windows, dormers, porches, etc.; • Simple black round plastic rainwater goods are recommended. These have the advantage of attractive lines reminiscent of cast iron, are very economic and do not easily show grime and dirt over time. White plastic or square section rainwater goods, on the other hand, have few of these features and should generally be avoided. They also require regular maintenance, which they rarely receive, to avoid becoming grimy in appearance; • Higher statutory insulation standards for dwellings will mean thicker roof construction build up. Great diligence and skill will be required by designers and house builders to reconcile heat loss issues with attractive detailing. 120 121 122 123
Source Cork County Council: Cork Rural 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.