St. Fintan’s was built in the mid-20th century on a site carved out of the garden of a mid-19th century two-storey over basement seaside villa. Basil Boyd Barrett – chief Schools Architect in the OPW from 1947 to 1968 – designed the house as a residence for himself, where he lived until his death in 1969. Boyd Barrett was a member of the AAI from 1926 to 1939 and was elected a fellow of the RIAI in 1947.
Working within a restrictive planning context, the house is flipped to avail of the spectacular views across Dublin Bay. Approaching along the arcaded entryway a ribbon-like staircase draws the visitor up to the piano nobile, from where the ribbon continues upwards to form a gallery and reading space set just beneath the glu-lam roof structure. The project will form part of Brennan Furlong’s “Howth – the memory of a site” presentation which is due to be featured at the 2025 Time Space Existence exhibition in Venice, from May to November.
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