A Geological Research Facility in the Heart of Slieve Foye

The key themes within the project have been deduced through exploration of the unit brief of Alternative Arrangements. One key theme is the reuse and recycling of materials excavated from the site. This has been the main driver of the design and other themes such as the overall sustainability of the final building and its operation.

These themes became a driving force of the project after developing a keen interest into the geological history of Carlingford and the surrounding areas, mainly the mountain the town sits in front of, named Slieve Foye. The mountain became the focus of the proposal. I have shown a Geological Research Facility could be placed within the heights of the mountain, housing resident geologists on the site they would be investigating, as a step toward the site becoming a national geopark.

The proposal has been achieved through thorough experimentation, research and testing throughout the design process, from the initial site visit to the final outcome. Beginning at the site visit, I collected a range of about 30 different rocks from the mountain, using their textures and properties as references to create a building that is submerged within Slieve Foye. These specimens became a useful tool in my experimentation with internal materials as well as the viability of the mountain rock as a building material. The form was derived from making cuts into sheets of clay, as if carving out floor plans from the mountain, ensuring that only the material required for the occupancy and use of the building was taken away.

Within the final design, I have aimed to create a building that is not only researching the geology of Slieve Foye but showcases the lithology within both the interior and exterior of the structure. This has then been set into the mountain in order to maintain the view of the mountain from the town and essentially hide the building within the mountain. Overall the design has achieved what I set out to do within the project as well as introduced me to new themes and subject areas such as geology, enhancing my architectural skillset.