4-Bed Split-level Contemporary Hillside Home, Co. Kilkenny

This proposed home is for a schoolteacher and pilot and their young family. They have two children and one set of parents based abroad who will visit regularly.

The accommodation needs to facilitate complex working shift arrangements where the pilot may have early morning starts or a need to sleep during the day away from noise. It was hoped to give the visiting grandparents a small self-contained suite.

The site has a considerable slope, and this is reflected in the split-level open plan living, dining and kitchen area. Other accommodation is laid out to work with the site contours. Historical research uncovered the existence of a farmhouse at this location in the mid-19th century and this was used to justify the choice of location of the new house on the site. Originally the planners wanted to stay safe and preferred a lower location and one perhaps less visually obtrusive in the landscape. The 3d montages and historical record help to allay their fears.

The windows have been arranged to maximise the amount of daylight and sunlight to the habitable rooms.