Napier House Renovation

Project Title: Napier House Renovation

Estimated budget:

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Project Year:

Project Background

Napier house is the oldest house in Trinity College, it was built as a boarding houses for children attending the College.

The building is currently severely weathered and it requires urgent essential renovation to restore it to its former glory.

This renovation project is proposed by the Principal of Trinity College and his suggestion is that the boarding house should to be a place where children love to be in.  It will have separate self-sufficient accommodation units instead of a dormitory in par with modern thinking and requirements.

 

Design Components

The design of the boarding house will have the following main spaces:

  • Separate rooms to accommodate one to six students per room, with bunk beds with a work station and storage below the bed on top.
  • Common area to relax, study and for entertainment.
  • Toilet block on each floor with wash basins and showers
  • Tutors suite, one in each floor
  • Additional staircase to access the two floors from inside

 

Design Concept

The guiding concept of the new renovation is the creation of a home away from home. There will be house parents in addition to the tutors to look after the children. One of the main design features is to introduce light to the space to make it a more vibrant and enjoyable environment. The old world charm is maintained while introducing materials to give the interior a contemporary look.

 

Design

Two cut-outs will be made on the roof, with glazing and louvers to get light and ventilation into the building.

Ground floor will consist of:

  • Single bedroom
  • Five bedrooms for two
  • One bedroom for four
  • One bedroom for six – 21 boarders
  • Tutors room
  • Common room
  • Study area
  • Kitchenette
  • Toilets

First floor will consist of:

  • Single bedroom
  • Two bedrooms for two
  • Six bedroom for four
  • One bedroom for six – 35 boarders
  • Tutors room/house parents room
  • Common room
  • TV room
  • Study area and computers
  • Kitchenette
  • Toilets

 

Design Materials and Suggestions for the Structure

  • A new steel column and beam structure to be introduced internally avoiding any contact with the outer envelope of the structure
  • Toilet block in first floor to have new reinforced concrete flooring
  • All the floor boards to be replaced with high quality timber with necessary supports out of timber
  • Majority of the rooms to be partitioned with timber wall system, masonry walls to be introduces only in places essential. (ex-toilet block), glass partition also to be introduced where necessary
  • Two cut outs on the roof to be continued in the flooring to get the light in to the ground floor area.
  • New steel spiral staircase to be introduced in one of the cut outs to link the ground floor and the first floor. Further, this staircase to be extended to link in to a store room on top of the floor.