PICTURES: Limerick architect designs 'floating' home in the trees based on Ireland's aviation history

PICTURES BY PAUL KOZLOWSKI AND SEAN FLYNN

A VISION of a “woodcraft home floating on the edge of the Atlantic” has been realised by a Limerick architect overlooking the Shannon Estuary.

John Curran Architects completed the spectacular project ‘Aerlong sna Crainn’ - translated as Airship in the Trees, in December.
Mr Curran explained the concept behind the design of the home and how it was heavily influenced by the first flying boats in Foynes Airport and how it was one of the biggest civilian airports during the second World War.

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“On the opposite side of the Shannon Estuary in County Clare, Aerlong sna Crainn celebrates that golden age of flight when the gorgeous Yankee Clipper graced the water at nearby Foynes (in 1939), and the Lockheed Constellation (1943) and De Havilland Comet (1952) graced nearby Shannon Airport.”

He added that: “Aerlong sna Crainn tries to convey that sense of elegance, romance and pioneering spirit that embodied early Transatlantic flight.”

The house, located on a woodland site in Clare, enlarges an existing 1960's dwelling and accommodates three generations of one family.

Mr Curran explained: “The existing property has been pared back and simplified into a slate clad box.

“A glass atrium joins the slate box to its new companion – an airframe floating above the landscape, nestling between mature trees of beech, birch and sycamore.”

He added: “The new wing opens up with a large expanse of glazing to drink in views of the Shannon Estuary on one side, whilst on the other side portholes form cosy window seats overlooking the garden.

“Aerlong sna Crainn tries to push the possibilities of timber frame construction beyond the box, and towards shell-like forms. Wood is hewn, carved and jointed into an airframe. Elliptical glulam ribs made of larch are clad in a matt grey zinc skin, peeling back in places to reveal warm panels of wood.”

Mr Curran said that architectural details reflect the journey of aviation in the Mid-West.

“Details in the architecture trace a path back to the beginnings of flight, for example the 'angel wing' fabrics that stretch across the gable ends of the airframe are reminiscent of the early fabric gliders of Otto Lilienthal of the 1890's.”

The home has an A1 Building Energy Rating (BER), is constructed in wood, the most sustainable material and uses solar power and an air-to-water heat pump.

“This is a remarkable result when you consider that 50% of the floor area is an upgrade of a property built in the mid 1960’s.

The combination of these technologies ensures low energy use throughout the year and near zero energy waste,” Mr Curran explained.

Aerlong sna Crainn spans a floor area of 467 meter squared.

Recognised by international awards, John Curran Architects have designed and realised over 700,000 m2 of mixed-use projects in cities across China over the past two decades, including in Shanghai, Fuzhou, Zhonghan and the Zhoushan archipelago.

In Ireland, John Curran Architects are making ‘Airships on the Atlantic’; these are woodcraft homes floating on the edge of the Atlantic, now under construction. Aerlong sna Crainn is one of the first to take flight in County Clare.

Mr Curran grew up in Limerick, went to primary school in Roxboro, secondary school in CBS Sexton Street and went on to study architecture in Dublin.

Mr Curran's own family home in Rosbrien, which he designed to fit in with the surrounding meadow and bog, featured on Dermot Bannon's Incredible Homes on RTE in 2020.

Mr Curran built his dream house on a piece of land left to him by his late mother Alice, who passed away in 2014.

At the time when the striking house featured on RTE, Mr Curran said: “The house pays tribute to my mother, really.

“I have very fond memories of my mother’s association with this field and meadow. We had been based in Shanghai for 16 years. For me, a foreigner arriving there 16 years ago, it gave me a world of opportunities.”

For his home on the outskirts of Limerick city, they aimed for “a very light touch and not to disrupt the landscape”.

“We are on the edge of a bog. We always had this notion in our head that we wanted the house to fly over the meadow. It appears to blossom out of the field with the colourful legs - it’s like a flower in a way.”