Project information
Location: Ringsend, Dublin, Ireland.
Type: Factory, Experimental, Site-specific
Materials: Seaweed, Wood
Site Context: Industrial area at the mouth of the River Liffey near Dublin Harbour.
Type: Factory, Experimental, Site-specific
Materials: Seaweed, Wood
Site Context: Industrial area at the mouth of the River Liffey near Dublin Harbour.
This project takes an experimental approach to materiality, using seaweed as both a theme and a structural element in the architecture. The aim was to honour the entire life cycle of seaweed, from cultivation to drying and processing, and to allow this process to shape the form and function of the building itself.
Rather than approaching this project from a purely functional or commercial perspective, it leans more towards the artistic and experimental. The goal is not just to design a factory, but to create a space that draws people to a place that is somewhere between a research laboratory, a sculpture and a community centre.
By exploring the limits of an overlooked material, this project asks how architecture can be made more responsive, less permanent and better attuned to natural cycles. The end result is not just a factory, but a place – a landmark for processes, experiments and seaweed.
Site Photos
Section Through Drying Area in Factory
Ground Floor Drawing
The layout of the factory is directly based on the microscopic structure of the seaweed stalk. By translating the cellular patterns into architectural form, the project allows the biology of the plant to guide the design. Circulation, spatial rhythm and supporting structure thus arise from the anatomy of the seaweed, making the building itself an enlarged reflection of its material.
Structure Based on the Microscopic Structure of the Seaweed.
Experimenting with Seaweed
The Manufacturing Process
