Storm Shelter - Feel The Wind
"We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds”.
― Aristotle
Our storm shelter design for Portal House looks out over the Irish Sea. Its powerful cantilever reaches out towards the ocean in a singular gesture of structure.
Fire
Within the Storm shelter’s main sitting space the structure manifests itself as a fire core, a chimney and hearth. This hearth grounds the building to the ground both physically and metaphorically through the power of fire.
Primary ocean window
A single glazed window opens with the aid of gas struts to the view. Side titanium panels move on rollers embedded in Galvanized channels mounted over a timber facade. These screens allow the form to open up physically on fine weather days. Passive ventilation is provided through timber side windows positioned at seating height - giving a hierarchy of views to the primary facade facing the sea.
This is a simple structure carefully detailed, with a simple purpose; to gather and observe the power of our sun that creates the wind to move our oceans. These winds create the driving swells and turbulent seas that manifest themselves in what we have come to identify as storms. The visible power of our planet.
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