| Project | Grillagh Water House |
| Architects | Patrick Bradley Architects |
| Containers | 4x45 ft |
| Area | 115 m² (1240 ft²) |
| Bedrooms | 3 |
| Year | 2014 |
| Location | Northern Ireland |
| Photos | Aidan Monaghan Photography |
| Technical Architect | AD Group |
| Structural Engineering | Joe Young Engineering |
| Construction company | Thornton Roofing |
Located on the banks of the Grillagh River - for residents known as Pixies Paradise - the young architect Patrick Bradley designed his shipping container house, set in the countryside in Northern Ireland next to the historic and picturesque Drumlamph Woodland, which is what remains of the "Great Killetra Forest", which would have once covered the whole of Northern Ireland.
Unlike any other house that has ever been designed and built within Northern Ireland, this house takes a completely new approach to rural Irish countryside architecture. With the concept of enhancing agricultural buildings spread across the countryside, the house is a refreshing approach to contemporary 21st century Irish architecture.
The house is the first modern construction made in a shipping container designed and built in Northern Ireland, with a primary structure composed of four 13.7 meter (45 ft) containers, which merge to form two cantilevered volumes. The 45 ft shipping containers are lined with an expanded metal of dark gray in the shape of the upper part and with natural corten steel in the lower shape, where the soil can be considered a work of sculptural art located in the landscape surrounding the project. The design of the spaces was expertly designed to make the most of the magnificent views of the place, a picturesque landscape of the surrounding mountains, the historic Drumlamph forest and the Grillagh River (Salmon River).
When approaching the home, you can travel along a path buried with dry stone walls on both sides, separating the limits of the place surrounded by agricultural fields. At the end of the access, you reach the 4x45 ft shipping container home with metal siding, and with a small elevation, you will find the main entrance door in orange color, with a balcony on a small swing above.
The main entrance to the shipping container home is located on the top floor, on the north side of the site, which takes us through a small entrance gallery into the living room, openly planned, with kitchen, dining room and living room. This area was designed to have a free flow circulation, which also takes us to the two areas of balconies external to the South and West. One of the three bedrooms is behind a hidden door to the entrance gallery. The location and position of the upper floor were designed to make the most of the view and natural sunlight, since it is also in this area of the house that some emotion is provided regarding a relaxing and calm atmosphere. Between the kitchen and the dining room rests the box of the steel sculpture-ladder that leads down to the ground floor level.
When descending the stairs, there is a large window framing the view of the natural stone and once you reach the level of the lower floor, you are exposed to the entire bathroom through a large internal screen, which includes an incredible and suspended projected hammock, and towards the east, a sliding glass door that gives access to a room, overlooks the surrounding agricultural fields and a cattle feeder, which provides a barrier between farm animals and the house. Located next to the bathroom is the bedroom, which also gives access to the outside gardens with a large balcony swinging above, towards the south. At the end of the small circulation hall there is a hidden door that leads to the main bedroom. The interior design layout of this room follows a hotel style, with the shower area open with a large internal screen, providing a beautiful view over the bed for the historic Drumlamph Wood. Hidden behind a frosted glass wall is the bathroom and sink. The dormitory itself is located in the most protected area of the 4x45 ft shipping container home with a large glass window with incredible views and the only sound around it, that of the forest's wildlife and the flowing water of the Grillagh River. The feeling of tranquility and privacy at the lower level provides a completely different feeling than the feeling at the upper level.
The aesthetics and general forms of the 4x45 ft shipping container home, built as a sculptural house, in a completely rural environment, in a very modest size of only 115 m², provide everything you need to have the perfect family home.
