Teach Cnoic Uí Gogáin / Fuinneamh Workshop Architects

Architects: Fuinneamh Workshop Architects
Area: 128 m²
Year: 2013–2015
Photography: Seán Antóin Ó Muirí
Civil Engineering: John McCann
Structural Engineering: John McCann
Quantity Surveyor: Michael Lucey & Associates
Contractor: J&D O’Callaghan Construction
City: Cork
Country: Ireland

Teach Cnoic Uí Gogáin is the refurbishment and expansion of a 1920s cottage, reimagined to balance preservation with contemporary living. The project maintains the original cottage’s proportions while adding a new extension that shifts slightly in plan, shaping a sequence of defined outdoor areas. A southwest-oriented patio adjoining the dining space offers a seasonal outdoor room, and a low front wall establishes a sheltered entrance courtyard. Inside, windows in key living areas are positioned to capture views across the valley, strengthening the connection between the home and its rural surroundings. The project increases usable space without overpowering the historic structure, using scale and placement to ensure continuity between old and new. The design responds to its landscape through strategic orientation, controlled massing, and the thoughtful integration of exterior rooms.

My favourite detail is probably the collaboration with the Danish artist Helle Helsner for the front door handle for one of my first houses: Teach Cnoic Uí Gogáin. Murlán Cnoic Uí Gogáin is a door handle that explores ideas about haptics and experience. I had never worked with bronze before. I wasn’t even sure what material the handle was going to be. Helle convinced me it had to be bronze. Mock-ups were made with wax that responded to my early sketches for the handle. These were then refined before Helle cast the handle in bronze using traditional casting techniques which employed horse manure and clay to make the mould for the molten material. None of this would have been possible without the belief of the client; I’m grateful for his belief in me. Without it, it would have been a generic handle.
Interview with Seán Antóin Ó Muirí of fuinneamh workshop architects

Teach cnoic uí gogáin / fuinneamh workshop architects

The refurbishment of the 1920s cottage at Teach Cnoic Uí Gogáin explores how a modest rural structure can evolve while preserving the quiet character that defines its presence in the landscape. Rather than contrast sharply with the original building, the extension adopts a similar proportion and form, allowing the project to grow organically from the existing cottage. This approach ensures that additions feel rooted in place, acknowledging the architectural rhythm established nearly a century ago.

A subtle shift in the footprint generates a serpentine layout that shapes a series of exterior rooms. This controlled movement in plan enriches the daily experience of the house, producing sheltered spaces that respond to changing light and seasonal patterns. The southwest-facing patio beside the dining area becomes an essential summer gathering place, functioning as an outdoor room that extends the interior’s social spaces. At the front of the home, a low wall defines a welcoming entry courtyard, creating a threshold that frames arrival and signals the calm domestic environment within.

Strategically placed windows in the dining and living rooms draw the surrounding valley into the interior, reinforcing the home’s relationship with its setting. The careful alignment of openings demonstrates a consistent intent: to ensure that the expanded dwelling remains anchored to its landscape, with views that punctuate the interior sequence.

The project demonstrates how incremental architectural moves can unify existing and new construction. By respecting scale, refining circulation, and shaping transitional exterior zones, the design forms a cohesive domestic environment where the renewed cottage and contemporary extension coexist naturally.