POL GALLAGHER, professor of interior design and architecture at the University of East London (UEL), has won an international competition with Airbnb worth around $100,000 to design a housing module in the County Donegal.
The $100,000 OMG! The fund was organized by Airbnb, the online accommodation website. The company invited architects and designers to present their projects for the creation of dynamic and creative houses in the places of their choice.
Pol’s winning entry was titled Caislean Oir – ‘the golden castle’ and a reference to a local Donegal folk story.
Pol’s drawings and designs encompass his vision to design a retreat in Donegal that would have all the drama of a treehouse, while also being accessible to guests in wheelchairs. This all-inclusive design aims to keep the architectural drama and magic of staying in a treehouse without ever feeling too contrived.
“This design is important because often people with physical disabilities are ostracized or made to have ‘quirky experiences’ using very clinical and institutional looking assistive devices,” Pol said. “I think this careless design ‘device washing’ harms experiences on an emotional and immersive level. Good design should make inclusivity invisible to everyone – so that’s the goal here,” he said. he continued.
The folded steel origami structure dramatically opens up like a flower to allow the bedroom to soar within – offering sweeping views of the ocean and landscape beyond.
The pod comes with its own adjacent jacuzzi hot tub.
Pol will now start working on the module with his own company ZAP Architecture, based in Stratford, London.
“It’s amazing to win this because we often put so much effort into design competitions and sometimes you never appear given the number of quality submissions,” Pol said.
“This is the culmination of many design ideas from previously failed competitions that I prove to myself nothing goes to waste; previous ideas are kept in a mental locker for their next outing. The next step is to organize a team to build this.There are many moving robotic parts, so we need to engage with specialists in this discipline.
“This original Airbnb module will bring visitors to my rural village in Ireland… This project is about reconnecting with nature from an ambitious architectural intervention,” he concluded.
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