Rochestown House Phase II

Rochestown House Phase II

Rochestown House comprises 2 separate blocks built in the 1960s as well as a small terrace of single storey houses in the walled garden of Somerton House in Sallynoggin Co Dublin. It provides a much loved and tranquil setting for elderly residents, that is close to shops, bus services and open space. Because of these advantages, a program of Re-using, Re-adapting and Densification was undertaken. These projects, being undertaken over three phases strengthens the community by introducing additional residents to sustain on site services. It also maximises independent living and life cycle options within the complex for residents as they age, through variation in housing types. The building was originally a two storey concrete pannelled building of bedsits units in a communal block. These bedsits have been eliminated by adding a third floor to the building and turning two bedsits into 34 larger one bed apartments. Communal facilities such as a shared laundry, dining areas and nurses stations are provided to maximise independent living in a sheltered setting. The building also underwent a deep retrofit to achieve the EnerPHit standard – the passive house certification standard for existing buildings. Despite being highly engineered for energy efficiency the architectural language of the project responds to the context of the walled garden using a language where new elements are expressed in simple forms and built with brick and timber to create warm comforting textures.

The project was the winner in the Sustainability category in the RIAI Irish Architecture Awards 2017