The project comprises of five new houses which repurpose the original green space which was subject to anti-social behaviour. The project provides a satisfactory infill development to the existing 1970’s Larchville estate. A very tight and compact site, significant consideration was giving to maximise the orientation of the houses and to minimise overlooking.
2 two-storey houses act as infill houses on the existing main street edges of the Larchville Estate, contemporary in nature and complimentary in scale. The 3 single-storey units form a cul-de-sac at the end of the existing estate, providing closure to the existing estate road. The single-storey units are designed to provide accessible homes, developed for specific end-users in close cooperation with their occupational therapists.
Access to the construction site in this location required careful planning. The site is bordered to the west by a very significant and busy primary estate road, which feeds the Waterford Shopping Centre, the IDA Industrial Estate and Waterford Institute of Technology. Access to the site from the south and east also required detailed management, although these roads are not as significant they presented their own challenges of interaction with adjoining residents, pedestrians and school children attending the local primary and secondary schools. All these issues presented risks and challenges to the project that required consultation with all the stakeholders to ensure these challenges were met and the risks are minimised.
The material pallet for the houses are simple, durable and low-maintenance finishes and utilise slate roofs, rendered finishes and high-quality windows and doors. Each house is provided with high levels of insulation and solar water heating to achieve a BER rating of A2.
‘Waterford City & County Council are delighted to have delivered the Larchville Social Housing Project with Diarmuid Reil Architects. The scheme is an excellent example of an infill development on public lands that were previously the subject of anti-social behaviour. While the provision of the green space in the original 1970’s Larchville Estate was well intended to fulfil a purpose, unfortunately the original design did not and could not aid the development of that purpose. The five new houses repurpose that space and sleekly fit in with the existing 1970’s Larchville estate.’
