Completed 2023.

Radharc na Chaoláire, a cluster of four Passive House Certified and BER A1 rated houses located in Furbo village, County Galway.  These bespoke homes are constructed in part of a brownfield site close to the village centre, designed to capture the stunning views and incorporate exceptional sustainable and innovative design features that benefit the community, comfort and wellbeing of occupants.

While the houses’ design is contemporary, traditional features seen in older buildings in Connemara were introduced, such as the simple roof edges, ‘lean to’ monopitch roof forms, and the use of roughly coursed stone in the walls. Local granite with its pinkish hue distinctive to Connemara contributes to its unique appearance, Connemara green marble panels in the living spaces, make the houses ‘of their place’.

The houses are also designed to comfortably achieve the RIAI 2030 Climate Challenge targets for operational energy ranging from 20 to 21kWh/m2/annum – significantly lower than the 35kWh/m2/annum target set out in the Climate Challenge.

With a commitment to passive house principles, the design of these homes celebrates the coastal views while balancing comfort and overheating risk through detailed energy modelling, showcasing energy efficiency, comfort, and environmentally friendly construction. This project also demonstrates the adaptability and capacity of smaller scale, local construction teams to evolve, upskill and engage with new construction methods and detailing required to deliver the passive/low-emission buildings that will become the ‘norm’ by 2030.