Home > Houses > House Extension in Dublin by Flavio Lombardo Architects

House Extension in Dublin by Flavio Lombardo Architects

By Eric Meunier

|

Updated on

Flavio Lombardo, principal of Flavio Lombardo Architects has sent us photos of a recently completed house extension and refurbishment project.

This two story home is located in Sandymount, a coastal seaside suburb in Dublin, Ireland.

House Extension in Dublin by Flavio Lombardo Architects:

“The design principle of the extension to this family home was to maximize the daylight inside and out, to use standard construction methods to minimize cost, to use a contemporary language distinguishing old with new, to create a multifunctional family room where the family could stay together, each of them still doing different things and also extending all of this with the outside patio using full width timber door/window and keeping flush the internal and external floor.

For the outside of the extension a white Monocouche and white full width timber glazed window/doors has been chosen with a brown granite stone for the patio area giving a result of a clean bright monochrome volume. Given the extension length is about 10 meters deep, it was important to bring some light to the open plan area and a small inner courtyard was created. This layout allows daylight to the downstairs backroom of the main house and brings additional light to the kitchen also.

For the inside,  it was decided to use a neutral and calm color scheme, painting all the walls in white, with the exception of the grey book shelf recesses, which accommodate the TV and a computer workstation and the back of the cooker, and also compliment the use of a grey-brown 600mm square tile. The colour in the room is then brought  alive with the books, the paintings, the green SMEG fridge, the orange rug and finally the antique brown armchair.

Everything in the room is bespoke, the 10 meter length kitchen-cupboard-bookshelf and all the windows and doors meticulously detailed. An under floor heating system was chosen to avoid the need to have radiators on the wall.

White tiles have been used for the floor and walls of the bathroom upstairs with the exception of a feature wall painted in green.

The project paid particular attention to reducing energy use in the building as much a possible. This was achieved as follows:

  • Floors, walls, roof insulation has been specified to be superior than current building regulations. All new windows/doors have been triple glazed.
  • There is a four zone control heating system in the house with a seven day digital programmer, full boiler interlock and room thermostats. The zones are (1) the extension downstairs, (2) the two bedrooms of the main house upstairs, (3) the two rooms downstairs and (4) the corridor and the bathroom. This allows maximum flexibility in programming when heat is required in a particular place and time, avoiding heating unused spaces.
  • The design of the extension contributes to heat the spaces and pays particular attention to its performance. The south facing full width door/window allows solar heat gain during the winter. The heat can be stored during the day and distributed to the main house opening the door linking it. The small courtyard of the extension, besides bringing light to the space, allow cross circulation if in summer the space becomes overheated.”

Photos courtesy of Flavio Lombardo Architects
Source: Flavio Lombardo Architects

Avatar photo
About Eric Meunier

Currently the Owner and Chief Executive of HODYO Design, Eric Meunier's expertise in the design industry spreads over 20 years. He was the driving force behind HomeDSGN's early success, founding this website in 2011. Today, he loves to channel his passion for design into remodeling houses and transforming interior spaces with his keen eye for detail and architectural finesse. Learn more about HomeDSGN's Editorial Process.

Leave a Comment