Design guide · Roscommon County Council
Rural Design Guidelines
The council's guidance on siting and designing a house in the countryside.
Roscommon County Council · 70 pages
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- 55 Adding the detail Rural Design Guidelines 7.6 Porches Porches should be carefully detailed and built with good quality materials while their shape and size should be well proportioned. The design should be solid in appearance and treated as solid blockwork and part of the house – the use of Greek columns, or fake PVC classical type porches should be avoided. The traditional practice of internalizing the porch within the house should also be considered at the design stage. While the preference for porches is the traditional solid design, it is possible to achieve a contemporary alterative with the appropriate design. 7.7 Chimneys Chimneys are important elements of house design and inappropriate chimney design can affect the entire design. Chimneys should be located at or as near as possible to the ridge line and be robust in their style. Chimneys placed in the middle of a roof plane lead to tall, thin ’spindles’ which detract from the overall dwelling as well as proving difficult for on-going maintenance. Simple porch form and detail Fake Classical columns Internalised porch Partially internalised porch 83 82 85
- 56 Adding the detail Rural Design Guidelines 7.8 Materials Traditionally dwellings were built with stone or clay walls and almost always had lime washed or painted plaster finish. This was to provide a protection to the inclement weather that the buildings were required to withstand. Rough cast render was applied to rubble walled buildings for the same reasoning. A recent trend of removing the render finish to expose the stone elements has emerged which reduces the ability of the building to resist water penetration. It also removes the vernacular elements and exposes elements such as stone and brick which did not form part of the traditional house finish. The number of materials used should be limited and materials that have a tradition of use in the area, or that are indicative of the area, should be used. A clear simple design creates a more harmonious composition. Add on frills and bands with no obvious structural logic or necessity should be avoided. In addition, the introduction of brick window surrounds, artificial stone cladding and brick quoin details are add on and frills that merely make the overall form fussy and complicated and should be avoided. Design Feature / Detail Preferred Materials Try to Avoid External Walls of dwellings, Domestic Garages Extensions Local Stone (sandstone/limestone - area specific). Local Stone can be worked to a fine ashlar finish or a less formal natural rubble finish. Render such as stucco, traditional lime render or lime wash, rough cast render or napped render finish, glass. Metal cladding such as copper, timber shingle, self finished modern renders, and painted timber finish may be acceptable in some instances or in cases where the design solution calls for an accent material. Pebble dash using sand and cement mix for local stone/pebbles Stone cladding which clearly reads as non structural. Non Local Stone or dashes using brightly coloured non local stone Cladding and other metal or timber finishes which give an engineered or artificial appearance. Roof Natural slate Thatch Durable timber shingles Metals such as Zinc and Lead and Copper (must be carefully considered, complement the overall design and be skillfully executed) Earthen/sod Poorly weathering materials such as fibre cement slates, concrete tiles (particularly those of lighter colour). Cladding and other metal or timber finishes which give an engineered or artificial appearance. Window surrounds and Doors Timber (either painted or unpainted and treated). Light coloured or poorly weathering materials. Fascia, Soffits & Rainwater Goods Dark coloured materials, preferably black or dark grey, rainwater goods, facias and soffits. Light coloured or poorly weathering materials. Cills Stone or concrete. Finishes which give an excessively engineered or artificial appearance.
- Adding the detail Rural Design Guidelines 7.9 Stone Traditionally where stone is used it was generally to a high degree of finish such as ashlar on “grand” structures such as churches, banks and courthouses, or in the form of more coarse masonry on structures such as outbuildings, barns and mills. The use of exposed stone on domestic buildings was not common. When stone is being used as a finish, it is preferable to use stone which is locally available. In Roscommon this is predominantly Limestone, while there are outcrops of Sandstone in areas around Boyle, Ballaghaderreen and Cloonfad. This type of local stone is a particularly appropriate building material where stone is a predominant landscape feature within the locality. It’s use in new buildings can assist in assimilating it in the area and rooting it in the landscape. The use of brick and artificial stone cladding are unsuited to most rural areas and their use will only be accepted as part of a high quality design solution. The use of local stone can assimilate a dwelling in an area and root it in the landscape Examples of appropriate contemporary materials 86 8887 89 90 91 92
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- 60 Sustainable Design Rural Design Guidelines 8.1 Energy Efficiency With the increasing cost of energy, energy efficiency and sustainability should be considered at an early stage of the design process. One of the simplest and indeed cost effective ways to reduce energy costs is to select a site that is low lying and well screened. Time should be taken to consider the orientation of the site and how a design can work with the path of the sun and the prevailing winds. If a site is elevated and exposed to the winds, any proposal to install energy efficient technologies will be counterproductive. As well as siting and orientation, it is also possible to reduce energy consumption by effective design such as retaining a compact form, minimising window openings to the north and using the south elevation for larger openings. Design elements such as dormers and bay windows should be kept to a minimum as they increase the heat loss and are difficult to insulate these projections effectively. Energy efficient glazing and extra insulation can also help to reduce energy consumption. It is also important to remember that the larger the dwelling, the more heating required. A smaller dwelling can offer a more comfortable living environment and a good design will more than make up for the lack of overall floor area. 8.2 Renewable energy sources Renewable energy resources are abundantly available through the county. Technologies such as solar panels, air to water heat pumps, wind turbines, geothermal heat and wood pellet burners should be utilised as much as possible. These technologies offer sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas and peat (turf ). By increasing the use of renewable energy sources there is a knock on effect of reducing greenhouse emissions and reduces the reliance on imported fuels. 8.3 Retrofit Our existing housing stock poses a great energy efficiency challenge. A considerable portion of the current housing stock performs well below buildings which are built to the current standards. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) offer many programmes that aim to develop technical and financial solutions to a range of building types. Programmes such as Warmer Homes Scheme, Better Energy Homes and Better Energy Communities Scheme provide a range of supports to retrofit buildings.
- 61 Sustainable Design Rural Design Guidelines 8.4 Building Energy Rating (BER) Similar to an energy label, a Building Energy Rating (BER) Certificate is an indication of the energy performance of a home. A BER is compulsory for all homes offered for sale or rent. A BER is also required before a new home is occupied for the first time. There are exemptions for certain categories of homes, for example, protected structures. BER is the calculated energy use for space and hot water heating, ventilation and lighting based on standard occupancy. The label has a scale of A-G. A-rated homes are the most energy efficient and will tend to have the lowest energy bills. BER’s should be carried out by specially trained BER assessors who are registered by the SEAI. For more information on BER, renewable technologies and the various retrofit programmes see the SEAI website: www.seai.ie. 8.5 Building Regulations Established by the Building Control Act, the Building Regulations set out the technical requirements for the design and construction of a new building, including a dwelling. Considerable attention should be paid to the Building Regulations at the initial planning stages and it is important to remember that a grant of Planning Permission does not necessarily mean that the Building Regulations have been complied with. For a 200 m2 dwellinghouse, the estimated annual fuel costs are shown to the left. These costs are based on a typical occupancy and heating of the house to a comfortable level (Source: SEAI).
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- 63 Acknowledgments Rural Design Guidelines NIAH: 3, 4, 10, 23, 27 MMA Architects: Page 39 (Chapter 6 cover page), page 59 (Chapter 7 cover Page) Andrew Lohan Architecture and Design: 52, 53 McGarry-Moon Architects: 51, 54, 92 2020 Architects: 55, 87 Dermot Bannon Architects: 56 DHB Architects: 57, 75, 82, 89 Studio Red Architects: 58, Nicholas Mernagh Architects: 59, 61 Mark Stevens Architects: 60 Louise Sliney Architects: 62, 88 McCabe Architects: 67, 84 Meitheal Design Partners Architects: 68, 69, 72, 90, 91 Paddy Bradley Architects: 71, 73 Edge Architecture: 74 Cox Power Architects: 76 BGA Architects: 77, 81, 83 Aughey OFlaherty Architects: 78, 79, 80 Simply Architecture: 85 FMP Architects: 86 Acknowledgments Roscommon County Council wish to thank everyone associated with the production of these guidelines and in particular those who gave permission for the use and reproduction of photographs. Written and Designed by: Pio Byrnes, Forward Planning Unit, Roscommon County Council. Sketches, illustrations and photographs (unless otherwise noted) by Pio Byrnes. The concept sketch on page 49 is courtesy of Emmet Humphreys, Senior Executive Architect, Roscommon County Council. Cover: The cover of these guidelines is a reproduction of an original painting by artist Alan Leyland, entitled Old Hedge. It depicts a typical landscape within County Roscommon. The sketch of the dwelling is superimposed on the painting and depicts an example of a contemporary type dwelling. Photograph and design credit:
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Source Roscommon County Council: Rural Design Guidelines · 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.