29th May 2019
ECKL have learned with excitement that one of our 2018 projects have been shortlisted on the RIAI
Irish Architecture Awards 2019.
The RIAI gold medal, the premier award for architecture in Ireland, is awarded for a building
completed within a defined three-year period, some years after completion so that the building can
be evaluated in a mature state. The Architectural Awards are to acknowledge and promote the best
work being carried out by Irish Architects, in particular categories at a particular time and are
intended to recognise the best of each years’ architecture and the contribution of clients to
achieving quality in the built environment.
In this respect the team at O’Connell-Mahon Architects have done an exemplary job. Their project
team of Donnacha Murphy, Laura Hanley and Tom Downes were the epitome of professionalism,
patience and practicality throughout the project and were a pleasure to deal with. From the outset
their passion for delivering a building of outstanding architecture and quality were tangible. Through
their engagement with ECKL and hands on and proactive approach to the project they instilled and
conveyed the values, charm and wonder of this magnificent project to all involved.
The project, Saint Joseph’s Mount Desert, is a 36-bed expansion to the existing Bon Secours Care
Village at Mount Desert. It is located on a sloping site to the north of the Lee Road, a couple of miles
west of Cork City. The site is approx. 3.6 hectares, set amongst a mature woodland where the most
striking aspects of the site are the sloping topography, the superb views of the river valley and city
beyond, and the wooded backdrop. The site has a wonderful identity and provides an ideal
environment for a modern bright and serene nursing home integrated into the landscape. The
unusual geometry of the building was born of the specific site constraints and with the aim of
maximizing views and light.
The primary design driver was the creation of residential accommodation that gives the residents
privacy and is compassionate to their needs as well providing communal therapy spaces to
encourage the best possible quality of life. The bedrooms are broken down into appropriate nursing
units and enclose a shared garden courtyard which provides opportunity for therapeutic outdoor
activity but crucially is also secure and sheltered. The bedroom circulation space is interspersed with
breakout seating spaces which provide important rest and social spaces as well as framing views
through the courtyard to valley beyond. The elimination of dead ends within the existing building
was a very important design decision in the context of a care of the elderly facility. This enabled
passive surveillance, and also provides a continuous walking route, a fundamental design element in
dementia friendly design.
All the team at ECKL were proud to have been involved in a thoroughly rewarding experience. We
wish the O’Connell-Mahon best wishes in the awards.
