Plywood Tent, Dublin

Plywood Tent, Dublin

A garden room in the form of a ‘plywood tent’ is added to the rear of a 1950’s speculative semi-detached house accommodating a dining area and a children’s play/reading area. The new room cranks around and above an existing covered utility area whose footprint was required to be maintained.

Due to its northerly orientation, a number of moves were made to maximise the site:

• The new roof is lifted at a central point to admit south and east light from a clerestory corner window.
• A skewed wall maintains the garden view from the existing sitting room while narrowing the new extension internally to make an intimate play/reading room.
• The profile of the roof tapers from 3.5m at its highest to 2.1m at its lowest point creating two distinct areas under one dynamic roof.

A folding rain-screen of exterior-grade Douglas fir plywood cloaks the roof and external walls. A skin of birch plywood lines the folding ceiling and walls internally.