Drumbo
Lisburn
Drumbo is an exercise in space, view and light. Without tethering to a particular style we embarked for our client on a process that allowed them to use this place at all times of the day, in all seasons of the year. There’s always a clear view of the sky without framed interruption or the over heating always found in conservatories. There’s an un-impeded view north to Belfast through the carved out cantilever window and there’s view from near to far across the rolling wooded landscape beyond though the big plate glass window to the side.
Along with the interiors we had the opportunity to make an integral external terrace with structural glass balustrades which again provides an un-interrupted view of the landscape beyond. An enjoyable solution to maintaining the view and eliminating the need for steel posts is to use thicker glass with a thin polished handrail. By using structural glass the terrace maximizes the view, provides great shelter from the wind and has clean lines of suggested enclosure.
An important ideal of the early modernists from Gropius to Le Corbusier, Mies to Max Fry was freedom in plan. We’ve used this at Drumbo and made the interior (shielded from the elements but experiencing the view) seamlessly join the terrace where our client can have the sheltered outside space.
