Schemata Architects Restores Guesthouse in Ireland's Dromgarriff Rainforest

Tokyo-based Schemata Architects has completed Linden House, a guesthouse renovation in Dromgarriff Rainforest in Glengarriff, Ireland, joining two stone buildings with a timber- and steel-framed yoga studio. The project sits within a 39-hectare woodland, one of Ireland's last temperate rainforests and a protected ecological area.

Linden House is one of five guesthouses scattered across the site. New owners purchased the land in 2022 and began conserving and rewilding the forest. The conversion of the existing guesthouses into a wellness retreat partly funds that work. Schemata Architects was tasked with redesigning one of them, connecting two stone-and-slate buildings overlooking Bantry Bay with a new shared yoga space for the guesthouse's 10 bedrooms.

"The existing buildings consisted of two structures connected by a passageway," studio founder Jo Nagasaka told Dezeen. "We envisioned extending this passage toward the south and transforming it into a yoga facility for the retreat centre."

What does the new yoga studio do?

The yoga studio forms the hinge between the two wings. Exposed stone walls frame it on either side, and a timber- and steel-framed sawtooth roof with integrated skylights shelters it. The two original buildings sit at an angle to one another, and the design embraces that irregularity.

"By connecting them while embracing this twisted relationship we were able to create a distinctive spatial experience and form," Nagasaka explained.

The roof does more than cover the space. "The most distinctive element is the hybrid sawtooth roof, which integrates daylighting and power generation," he said. "The north-facing surfaces bring in indirect daylight, while solar panels are installed on the south-facing surfaces to generate electricity from direct sunlight."

How are the 10 bedrooms arranged?

The social spaces occupy the ground floor of the longer western volume, which steps down into a large living area. A fully glazed gable end opens the room to Bantry Bay. The bedroom layout runs as follows:

• Three ensuite bedrooms at the northern end of the western volume
• Three more beneath timber-framed gable ceilings on its first floor
• Four bedrooms in the smaller eastern wing, the largest with a double-height seating area and a glazed gable end facing the bay

Material choices follow the original fabric. The studio used timber in the yoga space, pale oak finishes in the bedrooms and living areas, and minimalist white tiles in the bathrooms. The species choice was deliberate.

"For the new timber elements, we chose oak, the same species of tree that is native to the surrounding forest, wherever possible," Nagasaka said. "In doing so, we sought to create a connection between the architecture and the natural resources and character of the site."

What comes next for the site?

Linden House marks the beginning of Schemata Architects' involvement with the rainforest property. Long-term plans include the possible reconstruction of a hotel that once stood on the site, positioning the retreat as the first stage of a larger architectural programme.

The Japanese studio's other recent completions include a store for perfume company Le Labo in Tokyo, with board-marked concrete walls, and an office in Fujisawa City fronted by oversized corrugated metal shutters. Photography of Linden House is by Alexander Baxter unless otherwise stated.