Ratoath

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Ratoath grew out of the historic ringfort which gives the village its name, it is a small village west of Dublin which in recent years has developed into a large commuter town.

The proposed layout of 19 new homes is located just south of the Broad Meadow River at a busy corner road junction on the periphery of the old village.  The layout is driven by a desire to generate a dense cluster of large family homes with generous gardens with the wider aim of achieving an overall specific identity and communal character that would be valued among new residents, despite the inauspicious setting.

 

The design respects the scale and morphology of the existing village and surrounding housing typologies whilst attempting to address the characterless qualities that blight many of the adjacent developments. The plan is configured to create a variety of lanes, greens and children’s play areas, delivering an animated streetscape of domestic intimacy, surprise, spatial enclosure and environmental protection inspired in part by Ceannt Fort in Dublin and the Beguinages of Bruges.

 

The design approach utilises an architectural palette of gables, chimneys and articulated window surrounds; and introduces variety into the standard housing unit with a side entry units and attic balconies - a refined contemporary response the established housing type providing animation and visual punctuation to the spatial hierarchy.

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