SIOPA PAVILION
Since 1922 the Leinster House has been the home of the Oireachtas, the parliament of the Republic of Ireland.
The function of the entrance to the Oireachtas is the forecourt to the democratic
centre of Ire-
land. It is the principal reception space for visiting heads of state to the Oireachtas.
This courtyard therefore contains representations of the pillars of any society: it's government, it's knowledge, and it's history.
This project, the Siopa, constitutes the final element in the refurbishment and enhance-
ment of the entry to the Oireachtas. The ensemble of elements included in the overall project are, the Welcoming Pavilion, the renovated vehicular entry, the refurbished stone pavilions, and now the Siopa. The Siopa is the sister building to the Welcoming Pavilion, reflecting it in design, without directly mirroring it.
The Siopa is designed to:
· provide a longstanding and unobtrusive convenience shop service to members of the public and members of the Oireachtas.
· To provide a canopy for con-
ducting television interviews in the forecourt of the Oireachtas.
· Create a clear exit from the Oireachtas forecourt.
· To maximize the beauty of the forecourt to the Oireachtas, and in particular the existing Plane trees.
· To provide clear views of Leinster house from Kildare Street.
The Siopa is a simple glass pavilion that contains all of the elements necessary a conven-
ience shop, including sweets, minerals, newsagents, dry cleaning service, and small items of jewellery and keep-
sakes for visitors. Like the Welcoming Pavilion, the Siopa is a trapezoid in plan, pulling the entry back from the main exit path through the existing stone pavilion, while creating a canopy under which television inter-
views can take place between the existing London Plane trees. The Siopa is embedded and established within the ground - to conceal the counters as Kildare street slopes down, and to create a pedestrian land-
scape within the Oireachtas forecourt. In order to provide unobstructed views to Leinster House the structure of the Siopa is placed principally in the roof; glue laminated beams provide all lateral restraint, allowing the columns to remain slender. The counters become seating elements both inside and outside, helping to create a new landscape around the existing trees, and integrate this unusual function within this important external space.
