Cork | Tag | ArchDaily

Applying Exposed Cork in Interior Architecture

May 04, 2023

How can we transport ourselves to natural environments when we are in completely urban situations? The materiality of our surroundings is an important factor that determines the atmosphere we inhabit. In many cases, the use of natural materials in interior architecture can help evoke nature in our daily spaces. In this article, we will specifically analyze the effect that cork has as a special resource in the design of interior spaces. Cork is the bark of a tree species called cork oak. When extracted from the tree, it is transformed into a useful raw product and can be applied to a variety of different uses.

Bay Window Tower House / Takaaki Fuji + Yuko Fuji Architecture

November 29, 2022

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Architects: Takaaki Fuji + Yuko Fuji Architecture
Area: 84 m²
Year: 2020
Manufacturers: Lauan Plywood & Plasterer Finish, Lauan Plywood & Steel Beam, Lighting, Teak Flooring

Prioritizing Comfort in Interiors: Nature-inspired Floors Made of Wood and Cork

May 05, 2022

Greatly driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, interior design trends that prioritize comfort and well-being have become more prominent than ever in recent years. With former confinement restrictions and the rise of hybrid work, the amount of time spent indoors to carry out daily functions has risen drastically, forcing many to adapt their living spaces accordingly. As a result, demand has focused on residential interiors that foster calmness, peace and warmth, as well as on products and design elements that successfully meet these new needs. But how to achieve this? While there are many ways to promote comfort inside the home, one method has been indisputably proven to be the most successful: bringing nature in.

Panorama House / Mosaic Design Inc.

March 17, 2022

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Architects: Mosaic Design Inc.
Area: 180 m²
Year: 2021
Manufacturers: Duravit, Artis, KVK, MARAZZI, Sanei, +3Sanwa, TAKEMURA INDUSTRY, Toto-3
Professionals: yasuhirokaneda STRUCTURE, Double Box

House Elliott / Paul Elliott Architects

August 03, 2021

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Architects: Paul Elliott Architects
Area: 90 m²
Year: 2021
Manufacturers: Amorim, Xlam
Professionals: Mitchell du Plessis, WSP

The Cork Butter Museum / Datum Architectural Studio + Stephen Foley Architects

February 10, 2021

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Architects: Datum Architectural Studio, Stephen Foley Architects
Area: 187 m²
Year: 2019
Professionals: Modet Furniture, Engage Construction

8 Biodegradable Materials the Construction Industry Needs to Know About

May 02, 2018

In architecture we are so caught up in creating something new, we often forget about what happens at the end of a building’s life cycle—the unfortunate, inevitable demolition. We may want our buildings to be timeless and live on forever, but the harsh reality is that they do not, so where is all the waste expected to go?

As with most non-recyclable waste, it ends up in the landfill and, as the land required for landfill becomes an increasingly scarce resource, we must find an alternative solution. Each year in the UK alone, 70–105 million tonnes of waste is created from demolishing buildings, and only 20% of that is biodegradable according to a study by Cardiff University. With clever design and a better awareness of the biodegradable materials available in construction, it’s up to us as architects to make the right decisions for the entirety of a building’s lifetime.

8 Common Materials You May Not Have Realized Are Sustainable

December 26, 2017

Sustainability. A word that, for many of us, has been driven into our minds from the very start of our careers as architects. We have a responsibility to the planet and future generations to design buildings that are socially conscious—from solar panels to triple-glazed windows, we have tried it all.

Ultimately, whether our designs are sustainable comes down to the early decisions we make for the building, with our choice of materials having a huge effect on the overall carbon footprint. With new technologies come new ways of incorporating abundantly found materials into the skin of the building that could reduce the building's embodied energy and enhance the structure's properties.

In this article, we have compiled a list of 8 familiar materials that you wouldn't initially associate with sustainability but which you might consider for your next design.

Could Cork Be Nature’s Answer to Our Environmental and Construction Needs?

December 16, 2017

Unbeknown to many, cork is something of a dark horse when it comes to the environment—a model of a sustainable industry and building material. By its very nature, cork is both recyclable and renewable, as it is the only tree that regenerates its bark, while harvesting that bark causes the tree no harm.

Cork has been sneaking its way into our buildings for many years now; due to its hard-wearing properties it can be found, for example, in the checkerboard flooring of the Library of Congress. Even NASA has been wise to cork's light weight and insulation capacity, using it as an insulator for their space shuttles.

Morrison’s Island International Design Competition

July 18, 2017

Entries are now open for the Morrison's Island International Design Competition, Cork, Ireland

Registered architects, landscape architects and engineers are invited to take part in a design competition to propose innovative and considered solutions for the renewal of Cork city’s quayside landscape. Participants are encouraged to collaborate with other professional disciplines, historians, craftspeople and artists. The competition aims to explore the authentic spatial and material quality of the city that has been lost in recent times and engage with the remaining historic fabric.

AD Classics: Glucksman Gallery / O’Donnell + Tuomey

September 16, 2016

“The annals say: when the monks of Clonmacnoise / Were all at prayers inside the oratory / A ship appeared above them in the air. / The anchor dragged along behind so deep / It hooked itself into the altar rails.”[1]

These words by Irish poet Seamus Heaney have had a profound impact on the work of architects Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey, who cited the poem as one of their inspirations for the Glucksman Gallery – an exhibition space commissioned by the University of Cork in the early millennium. Named for its patron Lewis Glucksman (a Wall Street trader and philanthropist), the Glucksman Gallery was completed in 2005 and nominated for the Stirling Prize that same year. Thanks to its outstanding site-specific design, the building has since become one of the most celebrated works of contemporary Irish architecture.

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O'Donnell + Tuomey Selected to Design Student Hub for Cork University

January 05, 2015

University College Cork has selected O'Donnell + Tuomey to design the university's new student hub, which will house learning, student support and administration spaces in a new building adjacent to the campus' Victorian Windle Medical Building, to the West of the main quadrangle. Selected for their ability to work within and around the historic buildings, the project will also see O'Donnell + Tuomey restore the medical building.

The new student centre will be the second building designed by the practice for University College Cork, a decade after the completion of their Stirling Prize-shortlisted Lewis Glucksman Gallery.