Terryhead Boathouse, Co. Mayo

The Terryhead boathouse forms the first phase of the planned development of a 200 acre Mayo estate, with PKA designs ongoing for a large family home to replace the existing nineteen-sixties bungalow on the site.

Sitting on the shore of Lough Conn, the boathouse functions as a space for wintering boats, as well as providing ancillary guest accommodation to the main house during the summer season.

The interlocking plan and shifted geometry of two its volumes, one for living and one for boats, creates an interesting built form, as well as breaking down the scale and visual impact of the structure on its lakeside landscape.

The plan is orientated so that the open-plan living, dining and kitchen area takes maximum advantage of the site's beautifully landscaped gardens, and the ever-changing light of the lake beyond.

As an annexe to the main house, the boathouse contains only a small galley kitchen, one bedroom and a bathroom, as well as a small loft that provides extra sleeping accommodation.

The cedar-clad, slate-roofed structure has matured over time to a silver hue, thereby merging it almost seamlessly into its extensively planted woodland setting.

PKA's interior and palette of materials - wood floors, white walls, hardwood windows, vaulted ceiling, painted joinery and simple furniture - have been designed to create the atmosphere of wellbeing that one expects from a holiday house.

Designs by PKA for a large family home to replace an existing nineteen-sixties bungalow were granted planning permission by Mayo County Council in 2008, and construction is planned to commence in 2021.

Client: Private
Value: €220,000

Size: 85 sq.m.

Reference: On application
Design: 2005
Completion: 2006