SEARCH From over 300 features and guides on this site
GRAND DESIGNS
The Belfast Roman Villa
Thomas and Dervla O’Hare had lived in Belfast for 18 years when they decided to build a 21st century answer to a Roman villa, with a copper roof, glass and concrete walls and vast amounts of living space all arranged around a central courtyard. In order to cope with the incredibly steep slope the house was divided across three levels.
At the base of the building there is a garage and utilities. Through the front door a double-width staircase leads up to the living and dining areas. Full-height glass walls separate the sitting room and the central courtyard. At the rear of the site where the slope is steepest there is a bedroom block, partly built into the hill and sheaved with two storeys of south-facing glass to catch the light.