Social Housing Ballymun
Social Housing providing 36 dwellings ranging from single storey one-bed apartments to three storey family units, part of the regeneration of the Ballymun area of Dublin
Shangan 5A, Ballymun
Analysis of the site suggested a continuation of a linear organisation along the new street edge, extending the strategy established by previous schemes along the perimeter of the regeneration area providing protection to the currently exposed back gardens. The new building clearly defines the separation between public and private space in line with the aspiration of the Ballymun master plan.
The programme requires the provision of 36 dwellings ranging from single storey one-bed apartments to three storey family units in compliance with the Department of Environment guidelines. All units are own door access with the majority having private gardens at ground floor level.
The concept resolved into a formal proposition that twists and bends in response to various site conditions and brief requirements, to provide a coherent and integrated response which embeds itself into the existing and emerging context.
The linear form twists and turns depending on the depth of the site and the proximity of the proposed building to existing houses. The majority of units are two and a half storeys high changing to a full three stories where the form is bent. The roof accommodates this change in scale and ensures all third floor windows look to the street. The rear elevation is allowed to rise up when distant from the existing neighbours, falling to single storey when the form is less than 20 metres to the rear of an existing house.
The sinuous nature of the form to the street is complimented by the stepped elevation of the proposed scheme opposite following the grain of the existing housing. The resulting streetscape has a distinct character with the colour and texture responding to their respective orientations. The reading of the form as a single entity is emphasised by the use of a singular colour and materiality, brick walls and concrete roof tiles.
