Bartlemy, Fermoy, Co. Cork
The bespoke TVM project is located within a rural village where the owners had established strong community and staff connections. The Television and Headquarters Office and Workshop Building in Bartlemy, Co. Cork comprises four distinct architectural elements – Cottage Office, Entrance and Circulation Drum, Two Storey Production Office and Workshop Building. Together the scheme provides 1,250sq.m (13,450sq.ft) of ‘state of the art’ accommodation for a Live TV Event and Production Company.
The Project was designed to incorporate the Client’s requirement for a strong sustainabile design programme. The Office accommodation has been designed in accordance with Passive Haus principles of Timber Frame design including insulated foundations and sub-structure, envelope thermal performance and airtightness, internal temperature and ventilation control etc. All M+E services have been designed to support passive haus principles including solar panels, rain water harvesting and roof mounted photovoltaic panels to the Workshop Building.
The Cottage has formed one of the architectual elements and provides Open Plan office accommodation at Level G. A ‘secret’ external staff terrace area has been provided behind the pitched roof with ‘open-shut’ louvred panels providing viewing and access from the Canteen behind.
The main architectural feature is the american red cedar clad ‘Drum’ element, an elliptical plan form that has been extruded to 2.5 storeys high. The drum is accessed via a contemporary zinc clad panelled glazed Entrance Porch and contains the double height Entrance Foyer, central office suites and a post-production Edit Suite at Level G. The Board Room, Offices and Gallery Canteen area are also located at Level 1, accessed from a sweeping steel and glass feature stair concentric to the curved plan footprint.
The randomly placed windows on the Drum elevation are a response to the organic plan form and the desire to provide a non-directional facade internally and externally. The angled internal treatment of the heads, reveals and sills also play on this idea. The non-timber external walls are finished in a high quality acrylic render.
The Engineering Workshop is clad in an architectural panelling system and provides internal conditions and accommodation for servicing and supporting the large mobile recording studio trucks from which the Company covers national sporting and cultural events. The PV panels fitted to the workshop roof were at the time of installation the largest array fitted in the country, again reinforcing the Client’s sustainable ethos.
Awards
The TVM Project was awarded the National Green Building Award in 2013
