Callaboration with "fuinneamh Workshop" (Sean Antoin O'Mouri) Carraig Ruacháin Bheag sits in a landscape of great natural beauty to the north west of Cork city. The area Carraig Ruacháin Bheag, meaning "Little Red Rock", gets its name from the rich vein of Cork red sandstone, upon which the townland sits. Under the Cork County Development Plan the area falls under the "Green Belt" zoning which is afforded the highest level of protection to development. Thus, producing a design for a home sympathetic to the site and its inherent beauty was central to the client’s brief. To access the secluded site, you have to traverse through a disused stone quarry and woodland. Upon exiting the wooded area, an open south facing meadow, protected by a row of mature deciduous trees, greets you to the north. This site is a special place. The organisation of the plan of the house is based upon the geometry of a square. Internally, a raumplan arrangement of spaces creates fluidity between rooms. Views and connections to external spaces from within the house are exploited to take advantage of the setting. The placement of a fireplace at the end of the entry axis serves to welcome a visitor into the heart of the house on a winter’s night. A two story volume housing the sleeping accommodation is set up on a north-south axis, while the living quarters are housed in a single story volume which faces due south. An inner square courtyard is formed by these two volumes, which permeates out to the sylvan landscape beyond. The refined form of the house alludes to vernacular building typologies, while the placement and proportioning of the opes on the façade makes reference to the principles of classical architecture. On the west elevation there is a playfulness in the composition of the roof and chimney inspired by Frida Kahlo’s painting "Viva la Vida".