ELMPARK SH
The Senior Citizen Housing forms an integral part of the entire larger project and has been worked out in detail with Dublin City Council’s Housing Department.
The housing units themselves are composed of low bars that are carefully integrated into the landscape. These bars are aligned north to south so that they have constant access to the sun, while each of the two floors relates directly to an outdoor landscape.
The apartments are ‘through’ apartments with both east and west façade frontage. They alternate in plan with approaches along balconies to make the entrance to each unit as visible and as public as possible. The first floor apartment access to balconies include sitting areas, which allow the living spaces to be directly opened to the outside.
Bedroom privacy is controlled by vertical screens preventing people on the balconies from looking in, but allowing residents to look out from inside. There is a community hall in the centre of the scheme that includes a full kitchen and other spaces that can be used by health services. Vehicular access into the scheme is restricted to the basement with set down access at the north end of the building. All waste collection and recycling is gathered at the end of the blocks.
Internally, the apartments have high ceilings to maximize natural light. Colours are bright in the internal spaces, kitchen and bathroom. We have chosen natural materials on the floors and ceilings. The façades are made of timber and glass and the balconies are made of timber.
