Opening a public conversation about material provenance, construction practices and their role in the greater climate change debate, the KinShip EcoLab Competition invited professional architects, artists, designers, eco-builders or craftspeople to design and build an innovative temporary structure; an EcoLab, for public meetings and workshops at Tramore Valley Park.

A site for the structure was chosen to prompt competition entrants to draw attention to Tramore Valley Park's small wetland system, known locally as 'Carrolls Bog'. This small area represents a small section of the park that sits outside of the landfill area on the east periphery. The Bog once constituted an extensive surface area in the vicinity of the junction of the Tramore River and Trabeg stream along the south east boundary of Cork city. Due to a very flat gradient and tidal back up from the Douglas estuary, the area developed substantial accumulations of vegetable matter over time.

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Following a competition call out, the award winning Fuinneamh Workshop Architects and Civil and Structural Engineering Advisors Ltd were announced as winners of the KinShip EcoLab Design and Build Competition.  The winning design, titled “den talamh”, is the construction of the first public building using rammed earth in Ireland.

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The EcoLab features a hipped roof and will provide a meeting point and a shelter for future activities in Tramore Valley Park. Seán Antóin Ó Muirí, Lead Architect at Fuinneamh Workshop Architects says of the design, “The building seeks to frame a view to Carroll’s Bog, a wetlands area rich with bio-diversity located in Tramore Valley Park within Cork city. The process of “compacting earth” albeit above ground, resonates with the recent history of site use as a landfill, in creating a compacted landscape.”

The concept for the project, “den talamh”, refers to the idea that materials come from the ground and ultimately return to the ground and so, should be considered for their environmental impact. Primary building materials proposed for this project; earth, wood and reed have been selected for their regenerative qualities and reuse capabilities. The use of reeds in the thatched roof alludes to the reed plant of the bog on the site. Alongside the construction of the EcoLab, are demonstrations in rammed earth building, wooden roofing and thatching.

The KinShip EcoLab aims to enhance the sense of connection between the people of Cork and the wider community of life that inhabit Tramore Valley Park. This EcoLab will act as a hub and a creative laboratory for research, gathering, investigation, sharing and experimentation aimed to alter our thinking about the relationship we have with the natural world, to address the legacy of ‘throw away’ culture and to engage with new modes of sustainable construction.

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