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In County Armagh the inspiring geographical landscape of the ring dyke of 'The Ring of Gullion' and Sliabh
Gullion itself play an important role in the daily lives of the local community. The imposing forms are a focus affecting the internal energy of each individual.
The ring has a distinctive and well
preserved heritage embracing legends, folklore and literature as well as historic monuments, route ways, traditional farm buildings and natural landscape features.
Halfway between Belfast and Dublin,
the Ring of Gullion was once the gateway into Ulster, and became the scene for the legends and folklore which now form part of Ulster's history.
This distinctive landscape is a generator for the
design. It manifests itself in the idea of the building as a series of interior routes and places and by the building acting as a threshold to experiences; not just the threshold from inside to outside
but also a threshold to a renewed experience of Sliabh Gullion and the landscape, and to a renewed experience of aspects of living culture invigorated by the cross fertilisation of the forms of
expression of that culture.
The preservation of, and development of, the local culture played a very important part in the design of the project. Equally important was the involvement of the local
people, and the proposed building users, in the design process. The client committee was determined that a cultural activity centre would evolve from the design workshops held by the architects to
provide a focus for the Arts in the area, including the music, song, dance, Irish language and storytelling which form part of their everyday lives.
Tí Chulainn provides a range of performance
spaces and an audio visual theatre, an archive and workshop/rehearsal spaces, a restaurant, a bar and en-suite bedroom accommodation.
The central foyer space, or multipurpose space, contains the
elements of the building that are community focused: the performance areas; the restaurant; the bar; each of them expressed in the language of the 'clachán' as buildings of a variety of forms and
scales informally clustered in the central space. The language of the architecture is developed by the use of contrasts and opposites. By using frame and load-bearing construction, by dark and
bright spaces, by open and closed rooms, by passageways and landscape gardens, by clear distinction of fronts and backs, and by private spaces and rooms.
Natural light, complemented by artificial
lighting, to help create differing and alternative moods, is exploited by the use of varying ways in which to bring light into the building. Our approach is to bring light in through 'punched' holes in
the solid block/stone walls, or through whole window walls, or through the roof/ceiling. The contrasts of the experience of light in the building enriches the spaces and helps people to establish a
sense of place within the building enclosure.
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