Elizabeth's Tree House Whare Kai by McCauley Daye O'Connell Architects is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award Hiriwa in Hoahoa Roto Whare me te Whakaaturanga Competition Category.
HiriwaRoto Whare· 2020
Elizabeth's Tree House Whare Kai
by McCauley Daye O'Connell Architects
Client: Barretstown Camp
A' Design Award Hiriwa Winner in Roto Whare Category
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- Verified Award Winner
- Verify Award Status for #104597
The Design
About Elizabeth's Tree House Whare Kai
He whakaaturanga o te hoahoanga o te hoahoanga ki te tikanga whakaora, ko Elizabeth's Tree House he whare kai hou mo te puni haumanu i Kildare. Ko te mahi ki nga tamariki e ora mai ana i nga mate kino o te waahi ka rite ki te raakau ngahere i waenganui o te ngahere oki. Ko te punaha raupaparakau o te raakau raakau e whai kiko ana ko te tuanui o te tuanui, he kanapa nui, me te whakaahuru o te papanga tae, e hanga ana i tetahi whare kai o roto hei hanga korero me te taha o te roto me te ngahere. Ko te hononga hohonu me te taiao ma nga taumata katoa e whakatairanga ana i te whakamarie o te kaiwhakamahi, te whakangahau, te whakaora, me te hihiri.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award Hiriwa
Ko Elizabeth's Tree House Whare Kai te toa o te A' Design Award Hiriwa, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa taumata teitei rawa, ātaahua me te whakamīharo. Ko ngā toa Hiriwa he mahi tino kanapa, tino auaha e whakaatu ana i te mātanga, te pūmanawa me te mōhio hōhonu o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko Elizabeth's Tree House Whare Kai he mahi whakamīharo, he tauira, he tino ngaio, he auaha hōhonu. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Hiriwa he hanganga rongonui, whakamīharotia e whai wāhi ana ki te whakawhānui i ngā rohe o te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau. Ko Elizabeth's Tree House Whare Kai he mahi e hae ana te tini, e whakaara ana i ngā hiahia, e kawe mai ana i ngā kare-ā-roto pai, ā, e whakaoho ana i te mīharo.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Flanked by a secret garden wall and castle landscaping, the radiating diagrid pattern weaves and forms a new building which adopts to the landscape and characteristics of the wider grounds and structures. The building blurs the lines of indoor / outdoor space with irregular shapes and floating terraces. Energetic vibrant colours are used extensively throughout with a sense of fun in mind. A playful place in constant dialogue with nature. A new focal point. An inclusive space for all to enjoy collectively, night and day.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- A bright and airy dining space greets children on entry, where large areas of glass in the walls and roof maximise natural light and capitalise on views of the rolling landscape. The structurally expressive roof, punctuated with four large triangular roof lights, is supported by four primary steel/timber “tree” columns, continuing the dialogue between inside and outside. The internal space is also connected to an external deck via a series of sliding doors, allowing for universal access onto an external space overlooking the existing pond.
- Tags
- healing, sustainable, universaldesign, therapeutic, timber
- Production Technology
- The scheme’s attention to performance extends to its materiality. The building is heavily insulated, achieving an A3 energy rating, while the primary timber structure ensures that walls, roofs, and external cladding are derived from sustainable sources. The entire timber cladding is protected using Sioo, an environmentally-friendly, water-based system, while a secondary aluminum sub-frame allows the timber cladding to be panelised to match the geometric grid lines and natural rigour of the diagrid design.
- Design Challenge
- Camp is situated in Kildare and provides full dining, sleeping and activities for weekend camps for children and their families affected by cancer and serious illness. The camp helps children and their families deal with the emotional and physiological scars often left after months and years of treatment. Offering a completely free stay at their camp, their experience is based on a therapeutic recreation model leading to recovery, with children leaving the camp with increased confidence, self-esteem and the skills they need to face the rest of their journey to recovery. Camp needed a much-improved dining experience and they wanted this to be a magical place; a bright and airy place; a central fulcrum for the campers which would espouse the ethos of their successful therapeutic recreation model.
- Research
- Using the therapeutic recreation model the building design was developed to not only respect and preserve its natural habitat but to fully integrate the building and the experience into it. Using natural materials, we created a fun “treehouse” concept with internal trees and a rising volume. Large areas of glass in the walls and roof for natural light are capitalising on the views and rolling landscape, with plenty of colour for “serious fun”. Like other therapeutic centers, the positive impact of well-designed buildings on the human healing process is well documented. Architecture takes a risk in a bid to join in on the celebration of life and healing environment so carefully created in the camp.
- Inspiration
- Located in an overgrown woodland in the heart of the camp, the new dining hall was imagined as a treehouse in the forest, weaving through the tall oak trees to create a dialogue with nature. In keeping with the camp’s ethos of serious fun, the dining pavilion is envisioned as an enchanted portal surrounded by nature, forming connections with the lake, countryside, and forest life.
- Project Duration
- The project started in January 2016 and was completed in December 2016 in Co. Kildare, Ireland
- Operation Flow
- The resulting scheme is functional yet magical. Echoing the therapeutic nature of this medically endorsed camp, the pavilion is a demonstration of the role of architecture in the healing process, where a deep connection with nature at all levels promotes user comfort, relaxation, healing, and enchantment.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Donal Murphy, 2017.
Image #2: Photographer Donal Murphy, 2017.
Image #3: Photographer Donal Murphy, 2017.
Image #4: Photographer Donal Murphy, 2017.
Image #5: Photographer Donal Murphy, 2017.
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