Open House Dublin welcomes a Wicklow addition to this year’s programme. Join Architect Darragh Breathnach for a tour of Ballybrew Barn.

This new home reinterprets the vernacular Irish agricultural shed to create a contemporary home that integrates seamlessly with its surroundings. Positioned to follow the slope of the site and on a naturally flat portion, the house is carefully embedded into the terrain, minimising excavation and preserving the site’s topographical character. It draws inspiration from the green corrugated steel structures that punctuate the Wicklow countryside.

The home is designed to maximise natural daylight with the living spaces on the first floor making the most out of the barrel vaulted ceiling and the bedrooms below where the building is semi submerged into the hill. Large openings frame views of the Glencullen Valley and surrounding landscape, while a north-south orientation ensures balanced daylight throughout the day. A partially sunken ground floor reduces the visual impact of the building while allowing direct access to external terraces from both ground and first floor. Carefully considered materiality and detailing elevate the raw simplicity of the agricultural aesthetic, ensuring a refined yet robust architectural expression.

Tours are drop-in. Please note this location is approx 35mins from Dublin City Centre by car.

The Architect and guide will meet you at the entrance to the home.

There is no lift between the two floors but level access is possible from each level to the outside.

There is no lift between the two floors but level access ia possible from each level to the outside