Interior Architecture and Design (Level 7)

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Aaron McGrath

The Old Ulster Bank once stood as a great house within the Downshire Estate in Historic Blessington. In adapting its use case to a Boutique Hotel, I aimed to restore a lost sense of domesticity. A home away from home. This was achieved through Georgian proportion, pattern and color choices while focussing on softness of light & materiality.

My concept draws on the Wicklow countryside seen from the sky. Early 20th C aerial cartology

shows a patchwork of small plots spread across the landscape. Quilting forms a through line in the public facing and accommodation spaces of the building, softening spaces & calling back to the historic craft introduced through these great houses and adopted by local population. The building is fronted by an eatery, bringing life to the streetscape & including the local community. Accessibility was a key consideration at all stages of the design process, creating a space for all.

Image shows Concept, Mood & Material boards
Image shows floor plans for both ground & first floors side by side
Image shows a full 2-floor rendered latitudinal section of the building
Image shows two rendered sections of the restaurant space with a brief description and a grid of material samples
Image shows a render of the restaurant focusing on the lighting treatment, as well as the light fixture selection & reflective ceiling plan
Image shows a rendered elevation of the main bar of the restaurant
Image shows a rendered section of the first floor bedroom suites & three interior elevations of a single suite, as well as some material choices & a brief description.
Image shows a rendered elevation of the meeting room, along with diagram of possible layouts and a small selection of materials
Image shows 2 rendered sections that illustrate the relation between different areas of the ground floor
Image shows elevations of hotel reception and main toilets, speaking briefly about accessibility measures. There is also a small selection of material choices for the reception
Image shows an external render of the building at night, with a glow emanating from all windows casting light on the small number of trees outside.
Image shows a rendered illustrative perspective of the restaurant space during the day with sun pouring in through the windows.

Interior Architecture and Design