Eminent demesnes – A proposal to co-habit 6,000 gardens

Abstract

This thesis tackles Ireland’s national housing crisis through the redesign of the lakeside demesne of Glenade House in the Northwest of Ireland. The project subverts the inherited picturesque landscape, while blurring the boundaries of landscape and architecture through inhabiting a communal garden. Demesnes were untenanted pleasure grounds retained by the aristocratic landowning class during the English plantation of Ireland from the 17th to the 20th century. Responding to the demesnes’ legacy of land confiscation and propriety, a compulsory purchase order will be served on the 6,000 demesne parklands. These demesnes will function as a network at a local and national scale, promoting local food production, sustainable building practices, and rural recreation. By concentrating dwelling on designated ‘sub-rural’ sites, the proliferation of urban sprawl into green belts can be halted, while meeting the cultural desire to live in the countryside. In short, this project institutes a housing cooperative rooted in communal landscape practices.