TRIMBLESTON

This was a particularly unusual and brave project where a client decided he wanted a garden and so he went to the developer of the penthouse apartment that he had just bought and asked him if he could build a garden on his roof. The very amenable developer said yes and by the time MQA were drafted in, the client wanted an all-glass room, outdoor hot-tub, shower, putting green and planting. MQA were able to really showcase their design skills by maximizing the size, the height and the internal accommodation to allow the design to flow from inside to outside with the floor to ceiling oak panels and cupboards on the inside and Parkalex panels on the outside. MQA always felt that the extension of the garden was treetops and Dublin Mountains beyond, so the whole challenge was to retain that, whilst still maintaining privacy.

The biggest challenge was the construction process, which was not undertaken lightly. It was chosen that the best method of construction would be timber-frame, with all the larger construction elements craned-in from the site next door. There was only a week period when this could be done, so it was a challenging project all-round.

MQA achieved more than the brief asked for, in that the client now has a whole self-contained space up in the clouds, with a colourful bathroom, kitchen behind tall oak-panelled doors, in-home sound system and a great living space internally and externally. He didn’t think he’d achieve all that but MQA were sure he could get all that and still have a good sense of space due to the 3m floor to ceiling height. It’s a gorgeous space, winter and summer.