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Going to post a few things here which I've done in recent years which I might pin to my profile as a sort of extended #introduction
This is a piece I wrote for @irishcycle on the Galway City Ring Road shortly after I gave evidence at the Oral Hearing for the planning application. Permission was later granted for the road but subsequently quashed on the basis that the decision hadn't taken account of the government's Climate Action Plan 2021 #GCRR #Galway #roads #SustainableTransport #ActiveTravel #ClimateEmergency
https://irishcycle.com/2020/03/26/galway-city-ring-road-a-20th-century-solution-to-a-21st-century-problem/
This is a film by Ste Murray for Irish Architecture Foundation's Open House Dublin Festival in 2021 in which I cycle the recently completed Coastal Mobility Route from Booterstown to Sandycove with Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council architect, Bob Hannan and we chat about #Urbanism, #Architecture, #ActiveTravel, #Placemaking and lots more
Here's a piece I did earlier this year, also for Irish Architecture Foundation, taking about #AvaHousing, a project to retrofit the homes of older people, allowing them to downsize within their own homes and address the city’s housing shortage at the same time.
https://architecturefoundation.ie/news/watch-back-ohww-festival/
Back in 2019, in the days before Covid, I had a great chat with @athenamedia about #LiveableCities for the "This Is Where We Live" podcast
I'm shocked to hear the very sad news that Bob Hannan has passed away. He has left a wonderful legacy in his time as architect in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown. My thoughts are with his family at this very sad time.
From the Coastal Mobility Route to the Dún Laoghaire Baths and the ongoing Living Streets project, Bob helped set the standard for other local authorities to follow. It would be a fitting legacy if the Living Streets project was to proceed as planned and became an exemplar for urban living in Ireland.
This is a wonderful project. There are many similar homes here in #swansea west #gowerpeninsula #wales where single occupancy in very large homes could be utilized for shared living. In fact I'm someone who would benefit.
Ciaran do you have a progress report published anywhere on development so far?
#architecture #sharedliving
I wish #constructionindustry would take up this idea with fair incentives for the
#homeowners
@RhiMG @athenamedia thank you! You can find out more about the project here: https://www.avahousing.ie/
We're still at demonstrator stage at the moment but planning to scale up in the coming year.
I looked at the floor plans, there didn't appear to be much storage space in either unit.
I must find out if there is a mirror scheme here in my location in UK.
@RhiMG @athenamedia that's a fair point. We have to work within the constraints of the existing houses but most would have attic storage.
A big part of the process is helping the homeowner to declutter the existing home to reduce storage requirements and make space for the renter. It's a necessary part of the process but can be quite challenging.
Absolutely challenging. Decluttering is a valuable point to make, yet most people in this age grp have acquired many hobbies & interests over their years and that comes with 'stuff'. I'm just thinking, if I were that homeowner or renter, where I might keep art supplies and hundreds of books! Attic storage = not practicable but guessing that type of house comes with a fair sized garden where a wooden structure might house the hobby stuff.
#architecture #interiordesign
@ccferrie @athenamedia @Gsmithy
It really bothers me that little houses like the one in the Beaumont Pilot are being targeted. ~~ What I was expecting to see was much larger homes, perhaps 5 or six bed homes, being the primary type of dwelling that qualified. Those are the type of homes aplenty in affluent parts of any town where there could easily be single occupancy. However, I anticipate members of the extended family might strongly object. That is the real challenge in my opinion.
@RhiMG @athenamedia @Gsmithy We're focusing on helping people who are own their own home but don't have the financial resources to carry out the work themselves.
It also has the benefit that the house type is fairly standardised (3 bed semi-D) and we can apply a relatively standardised solution.
Typically, the owners of larger homes in affluent areas don't need our support and there tends to be an added complexity to the house type.
@RhiMG @ccferrie @athenamedia
I suppose those with higher assets don't need the income (?!) as much as those without.
@RhiMG @ccferrie @athenamedia
Having said that, my in-laws have converted a barn and opened up their bedrooms for Airbnb. I would argue that we don't need to create a vehicle to help such people, they are capable of funding and organising it themselves.
If you find one will you post?
@ccferrie @RhiMG @athenamedia
This is so interesting, I especially enjoy the adaptions for accessibility on your ground floor unit example. It makes a lot of sense and gives homeowners flexibility. Have you found difficulty at the planning stage?
@Gsmithy @RhiMG @athenamedia we had to overcome some initial resistance from local authorities who interpreted it as splitting one property into two (which would require planning permission). We argued that it's still a single family home and can revert to that use with very little intervention, also there is no intensification of use because we have max. two people living in a house which was designed for a family of four or five people. Therefore the works are exempt from planning requirements
@Gsmithy @RhiMG @athenamedia the ease of reinstatement to family home is also important in managing concerns of other family members, particularly those who might eventually inherit the property.
@ccferrie @RhiMG @athenamedia
Yes, I noted that it was pretty much an opening, doorway and some kitchen units between the original vs proposed. Very interesting.
@ccferrie @RhiMG @athenamedia
Yes it does seem like splitting the property, interesting that you have worked around it! So both units share utility/local tax bills I am assuming? And there is no separate postal address?
@Gsmithy @RhiMG @athenamedia that's correct. It works on a "fair usage" basis and the utility costs are included in the monthly rent. This has become more challenging in the last year with rising energy costs but we're looking to incorporate energy upgrades to the house as part of the typical works package to mitigate this.
@ccferrie @RhiMG @athenamedia
Ah wonderful. Great idea. 
