Architecture Commons^™

A Review Of Current Construction Guidelines To Inform The Design Of Rammed Earth Houses In Seismically Active Zones, David Thompson, Charles Augarde, Juan Pablo Osorio

Articles

Sustainability in the materials we use for construction is a prime concern, focusing on reducing the embodied energy and carbon footprints of the materials used. The cement used in concrete products is responsible for a significant proportion of Man's CO2 emissions and its production requires substantial energy input, as do fired clay products. For this reason, products formed from unfired earthen materials are of increasing interest and the current challenges include devising means of robust design for strength and to address durability concerns. One form of earthen construction that employs an in-situ method is rammed earth, and it is a …

Pivot Dublin: A Discussion On The Bid For Dublin To Become World Design Capital, Barry Sheehan, Ali Grehan

Articles

In this article, Barry Sheehan interviews Dublin City Architect, Ali Grehan, about PIVOT Dublin, the bid for World Design Council, how and why it came about, what happened to the bid and where PIVOT Dublin is now.

Iron In The Soul, Noel Brady

Articles

This paper re-examines the iconic use of cruciform columns in the famous Barcelona Pavilion and the other ‘German’ projects of the architect Mies Van der Rohe. It extrapolates for the material itself to construct a theory about the meaning behind their design and iconography linking it to Shinkel and a coded national identify.

Building Fabric Design : Thermal Performance Standards, Joseph Little

Articles

This is the first of a series of articles using content from the new RIAI Building Fabric Design CPD which explores a range of themes of central importance to designing buildings that are highly energy efficient, genuinely compliant and perform to their design intent and specification. As the articles are short and the themes are often complex, they can be at best a short introduction to the issues raised. In this article we will look at the new minimum building fabric standards: these are far more onerous than much of the Industry understands.

The Latest Homebond House Building Manual : A Critique, Joseph Little

Articles

The Homebond House Building Manual had the distinction of being called the ‘bible’ for many building during the boom. It was a commonly‐used reference book, even for many builders and architects who never built housing estates and therefore had little need of a Homebond guarantee. One might design a construction detail of a dwelling differently, but one did it with an awareness of what the manual showed. It gave the insurance scheme great credibility and standing. This architect remembers reluctantly getting involved with an external wall insulation self‐build project in rural Ireland in 2006 (far beyond his normal travel distance) …

Thermal Bridging - Understanding Its Critical Role In Energy Efficiency, Joseph Little, Beñat Arregi

Articles

Plane element heat loss[1] and thermal bridging[2] together constitute all the conduction heat loss (measured in W/K, watts per kelvin) through the thermal envelope[3] of a building. Perversely insulating the plane elements more and more without carefully dealing with junctions can lead to a significant increase in thermal bridging heat loss. This is often more significant in poorly thought-out energy-focused retrofits than in existing or new buildings.

Top Tips For Domestic Refurbishment, Joseph Little

Articles

1) It stands to reason that insulating a wall should not affect its strength or longevity, nor should it result in a buildup of moisture (inter-stitial condensation) or mould. However the Industry is currently gripped with a desire to insulate to the highest standard (U-value) at the lowest financial cost, as quickly as possible, with little thought of these issues. An appropriate, robust solution must take the original wall, the occupant’s health, the room’s function and even the building’s location into account.

Breaking The Mould 5 : Comparative Simulation Of Internal Insulation Systems, Joseph Little

Articles

In the last edition of Construct Ireland ‘Breaking the Mould IV’ established the standard that should be used to evaluate thermal upgrades of single leaf walls, described steps to physically prepare the wall, explained some of the mechanisms that affect the likelihood of mould and gave criteria for judging the simulations outputs. The next step is to simulate a number of permutations of typical internal insulation systems using WUFI Pro under IS EN 15026.

Breaking The Mould 4 : Condensation Risk Analysis – The Standards And The Issues, Joseph Little

Articles

The ‘Breaking the Mould’ series of articles was written to explore the range of issues associated with upgrading single leaf walls with a focus on occupant and building health as much as energy, just as the Home Energy Saving Scheme was launched. A year on from the first article the need for greater understanding and clear guidance for the Industry is greater than ever. This is because the Government’s ‘Energy Demand Reduction Target’ (EDRT), under the 2006 EU ‘Energy Services Directive’, is bringing energy utilities (e.g. ESB, Bord Gáis) into the refurbishment market.

Loosening The Ties That Bind: Grangegorman Masterplan, Noel Brady

Articles

Interview with James Mary O'Connor, Architect and Masterplanner with Moore Rubel Yudell designers of the Masterplan for DIT at Grangegroman, Dublin

Breaking The Mould 3, Joseph Little

Articles

This article is the third in a series looking at thermal upgrades to single-leaf walls of existing houses. The theme for this article was intended to be an analysis of various drylining options for brick and rubble-built walls of older properties. That will follow. The following events forced a change in focus.

Breaking The Mould 2 : An Analysis Of Single-Leaf Insulation Upgrades, Joseph Little

Articles

This article is the second in a series looking at thermal upgrades to single-leaf walls of existing houses. It compares a range of ways of upgrading masonry single-leaf walls, particularly the ubiquitous hollow block wall, and the impact of those decisions on moisture content, wind- and airtightness, cost and heating. Future articles will look at various drylining approaches for a range of walls including brick walls of various widths.

Breaking The Mould 1 : A Study Of Condensation In Single-Leaf Concrete Wall Upgrades, Joseph Little

Articles

This article is the first of a series looking at upgrade options and issues associated with single-leaf walls of existing houses. This article will focus on insulated drylined concrete block walls of the ubiquitous housing estate house. This will include the findings of software that dynamically models moisture movement through the wall over several years. The article following this will look at a range of options for replacing existing drylining or installing drylining where it never was before, be that for a solid block wall of a 1950s house or a solid brick wall of an 1850s house.

In Transit - Transition Movement Inspires Dramatic Carbon Cuts In House Refurb, Joseph Little

Articles

Drawing on the ‘Energy Descent Action Plan’ he developed at Kinsale, Rob Hopkins and his team launched Transition Town Totnes (in the UK) one and a half years ago. 64 recognised transition communities and 600 other groups (and counting) are now in communication with Rob’s team to launch their versions of this initiative in their communities worldwide.¹ The Transition Ireland Network is coordinated by Davie Philip of Cultivate and several transition initiatives are underway here.

Frame It - Thoughts On Education, Reducing Carbon And Vapour, Joseph Little, Robbie Cousins

Articles

Joseph Little believes timber frame can be the backbone of a new generation of low-carbon, energy-efficient housing, and be used as an intelligent response to Climate Change and fuel prices. But he tells Robbie Cousins that timber frame manufacturers, suppliers and architects need to gear-up and work more closely together if the true potential of this vision is to be realised.

Joseph Little’s chief bugbear is poor construction standards & details on site and the core of this issue is how the knowledge set of architects and builders and how standards are controlled. The seeds of this idea may have …

Ando: Inside Out, Noel Brady

Articles

Review of lecture by Tadao Ando Architect

Auf Der Suche Nach Einer Authentischen Architektur; Ein Gespräch Mit Glenn Murcutt Und Juhani Pallasmaa, Noel Brady

Articles

The article is a record of a conversation on architectural ethics between the author and Glenn Murcutt and Juhani Pallasmaa.

Reconciliation: The Search For An Authentic Architecture, Noel Brady

Articles

Glenn Murcutt and Juhani Pallasmaa in conversation with author discussing various architectural concepts and ideas

Baugruppe - Lessons From Freiburg On Cooperative Housing : Lessons From Freiburg On Cooperative Housing, Joseph Little

Articles

Creating Sustainable Communities in the UK and Ireland

The Genesis of Quartier Vauban

Winy Maas, Noel Brady

Articles

Interview with Winy Maas, Architect with MVRDV Architects.

Lost In Translation: Words And Buildings, Noel Brady

Articles

Review of book; Words & buildings - a vocabulary of modern architecture, by Adrian Forty

David Chipperfield: Questions Of Meaning, Noel Brady

Articles

Interview with David Chipperfield Architect

The Mayne Event: All Things Are Possible, Noel Brady

Articles

Interview with Thom Mayne Architect of Morphosis Architects.

Construct Ireland - Lime-Hemp - A Potential Solution To A Concrete Problem, Joseph Little

Articles

This article is intended to act as an exploration and provocation. Why do we build the way we do, what effect does that have? Could we for instance, design and specify buildings that actually benefit the Environment rather than burden and pollute it as currently. Is it possible that the construction of a house could absorb CO₂ thereby transforming new housing estates or apartment buildings into giant absorbers of carbon dioxide? Imagine Ireland being able to count commercial constructions or new housing among its ‘carbon sinks’, in place of Siberian forests or the carbon credits that the Government will …

Libeskind: Memory Foundations, Noel Brady

Articles

Review of Daniel Libeskind's lecture in Cork, 2005.

Steven Holl: The Open Thought, Noel Brady

Articles

Review of book on the work of Steven Holl Architect.

Construct Ireland - Partial Fill Cavity Walls, Joseph Little

Articles

An examination of whether it still deserves its best practice status in the Irish Construction Industry in light of higher U-Values, construction practices, recent research and cultural pressures.

Producing Knowledge Through Architecture, Noel Brady

Articles

Interview with Foreign Office Architects.

Glenn Murcutt, Noel Brady

Articles

Interview with Architect Glenn Murcutt from Australia, as part of masterclass studio at DIT.

All American: Innovation In American Architecture, Noel Brady

Articles

Review of American Architecture book by Brian Carter, Annette Lecuyer