​St. Mary's Gaelic Football Club

Client:  St. Mary's Gaelic Football Club, Donore, Co. Meath
​Civil & Structural Engineers:  Waterman Moylan
M&E Engineers:   Waterman Moylan
PSDP:    Waterman Moylan

The site is located within a UNESCO World Heritage site and is visible from the neolithic passage tombs at at Newgrange and Dowth. The entrance to the site is directly opposite the entrance to the Bru Na Boinne visitor centre at Donore, Co. Meath. The site is slopes up to the southeast with the centre of the site levelled to create a Gaelic Football pitch. The western boundary is planted with a regularly spaced line of non-native Leylandii trees. Access is via a steeply sloped gated incline opposite the Bru na Boinne visitor centre. There is an existing pre-fabricated concrete clubhouse on the eastern site boundary.

Following consultations with the National Monuments Service & Meath County Council an alternative facade proposal was proposed. The stone gabions were deemed too prominent and did not disguise the building enough from the World Heritage Site. A concept of a ‘living facade/ vertical garden’ was introduced. The facade will be clad in a series of hardwood trellis frames fixed to the masonry outer leaf. Climbing plants such as honeysuckle and bramble will be planted in a trough located at the base of the trellis. The plants will inhabit the vertical plane creating a ‘living facade’ that changes with the seasons. The building will be virtually invisible from the Boyne Valley when the facade has matured. A rainwater harvesting system will be used to collect, store & water the plants to produce a vibrant facade that will blend seamlessly into the landscape. The proposed floor level has been lowered by 500mm with the parapet of the community hall 1200mm lower to reduce the building mass and visual impact on the surroundings. The access road and parking bays are finshed in gravel with timber seperating elements to keep the gravel in-situ. Low level aluminium bollard lighting with indirect reflectors is proposed for the car park.