Sports Hall at Loreto Abbey Dalkey Competition.
The spatial and visual overlapping of the facilities and the synergy of use constitute the basic operative logic underlying the building.
As the object is large, it was important to create it light. Therefore, it was important to integrate the object into the existing landscape by reducing the visual stability of the hybrid sport hall volume and its height. This is obtained by placing the sport hall volume in the middle and surround it by a two floor building that accommodates all the sport hall facilities. The visual impact is also attenuated by placing a collonate to the perimeter and the use of glazing and policarbonate. The spatial result is a gradual spacial increase of the perception of the sport hall.
The surrounding landscape and the Dalkey Island lighthouse give the inspiration to understand the building as a sort of echo of a lanterna, an illuminated cap that marks its presence inside the surrounding. This is achieved by the use of the polycarbonate for the top part of the sport hall. The building at night becomes an original screen of light accenting its shape in the landscape. The translucent skin, radiates and turns the building into an iconic and symbolic place of the school.
The building is located in a natural setting. Central to the organization of the building is to maximize the view to the sea, Dalkey Island and the surrounding landscape. The entrance hall, the fitness room, the studio and the office all open to lovely views. Large glass surfaces allow nature to flow into the construction and interlink the interior and the exterior. Guests and visitors thus also experience a relationship with the outside landscape.
The expression of the building is functional, clear, robust and blending with the landscape.
Design team:
Architect: Flavio Lombardo Architects
Structural and Mechanical Engineer: Arup Ireland Partner Limited
Quantity Surveyors: KMCS Limited