Corrugated Iron buildings in Ireland

Judgement Day

I have been a fan of corrugated iron as a house building material for many years and would be interested in photos or information of any buildings - other than churches - that members may know of. I don't mean cottages with tin roofs I mean the whole building has to be of corrugated construction - no barns either please. Cricket pavilions, small railway stations were often made of corrugated iron - the 'new' booking office at Castlegregory station on the Dingle peninsula was a particularly nice example but I think it has been demolished since I last saw it in the late 1980's.

I am thinking of building a house using corrugated iron and I would appreciate any help that members can give.:)

SeanW

Why not consider building a corrugated iron shed? my uncle and cousins used to have one for years, they used/use it for storing turf, firewood and suchlike fuels. They might still have it.
It had/has a wooden pole skeleton structure and was wrapped with corrugated iron on the outside.
If have ground space where you live and not enough garage space or would like somewhere to put your car/motorbike/bicycle/other stuff, building a corrugated iron garage might be something to look at.

Edit: I don't think a corrugated iron house would be very efficient from a heat retention perspective, nor would I forsee you easily getting planning permission for it.

sukikettle

I like this site

sukikettle

It requires no thinking while one is inebriated....hi fellaz I got banned so I'm here

Judgement Day

I wonder why you think I would have a problem with planning permission for a house constructed from corrugated iron? I attach a photo of a house in New Zealand that I found online today. Very pleasing to look at and I should think insulation would be no more difficult that with a timber frame house.
Attachment not found.

Keeks

Won't the noise made from rain just be really annoying?

But anyway not sure what this has to do with green issues so going to more it on to Construction & Planning

JohnBoy

Tipperary Co-Op in (shock horror) tipperary town have a rather fetching corrugated factory

Quazzie

On a planning point it might be a little 'out there' from an aesthetic point of view, and mght be a problem getting planning permission because It'd be hard to get it to suit in with surrounding buildings. Structurally it should be sound and insulation wise it could actually be better that conventional contruction methids (providing its done right).

House like these seem to be more the norm in Netherlands for example, So I'm sure that it can be done here.

Slig

Its not a house and its not exactly corrugated iron either but check this one out:
Arigna_mining_experience
It is a visitor centre for a disused cole mine.

The only problems I could envision would be rust and noise and probably planning. There may be nothing wrong with the concept but some planners tend to assume the worst case senario.

muffler

Its a white elephant imo.

Why in the name of Jesus, Mary and their wee donkey would you want a roof that looks like something you'd find on a sheep shed?

Quazzie

muffler wrote: »

Its a white elephant imo.

Why in the name of Jesus, Mary and their wee donkey would you want a roof that looks like something you'd find on a sheep shed?

New cladding techniques can look quite good and can be made to accomodate all kinds of shapes. in terms of modern contemporary designs I woud suggest it is a very valid choice for roof coverings at the very least. A whole building out of it I think might be a bit much but thats just my opinion.

New techniques like this could be a solution to many of todays insulation problems. imagine a 300 thick wall where 275 was insulation slabs and the rest was just corrugated cladding. With steelwork taking the structural strain would this not be the perfect (maybe not aestheitically) alternative to todays cavity wall insulation?

Slig

muffler wrote: »

Its a white elephant imo.

Why in the name of Jesus, Mary and their wee donkey would you want a roof that looks like something you'd find on a sheep shed?

I dont know, there are still people that aspire to classical designs and think the way to get it is by adding ionic columns to their front elevation.

I have seen some very nice designs using corrugated iron (in South Africa and Australia though) and some nice designs here ruined because they "needed" stone cladding. At the end of the day its the materials integration into the overall design and not the material that will dictate its success or failure.

sydthebeat

Quazzie2002 wrote: »

New cladding techniques can look quite good and can be made to accomodate all kinds of shapes. in terms of modern contemporary designs I woud suggest it is a very valid choice for roof coverings at the very least. A whole building out of it I think might be a bit much but thats just my opinion.

New techniques like this could be a solution to many of todays insulation problems. imagine a 300 thick wall where 275 was insulation slabs and the rest was just corrugated cladding. With steelwork taking the structural strain would this not be the perfect (maybe not aestheitically) alternative to todays cavity wall insulation?

steel frames exist as a building method, which you can finish with render / stone / timber etc

to have corregated steel profiles as a finish however is a very striking aesthetic finish, and not suitable for many persons tastes....

it would be a 'time and place' issue IMHO...

Quazzie

I agree its not something I would consider either but each to their own.

Looking at the example given by slig above I can see why some would go after it for the contemporary aesthetical value. It certainly helps a building stand out

sydthebeat

personally, the corrugated finish looks too much like vertical cladding...

steel cladding profiles have moved away from the corrugated look, to more uniform flats profiles... the corrugated profile adds to the structural stability of the single skin... but as many profile cladding are now double skinned, the need for corrugation (?) is diminished...

RKQ

Slig wrote: »

At the end of the day its the materials integration into the overall design and not the material that will dictate its success or failure.

I agree, very well said Slig.

Planning should not be a problem in rural areas as we have a very strong history of corrugated metal roofing in Ireland. There are many examples in every county with metal roof or metal walls and roof.

Planning should not be a problem in urban areas as there are numerous metal clad boxes! (Adli tend to be quite attract in design which is not common - most metal boxes are poorly designed IMO)

Holland has really embraced contempory design, using many different materials, in an excellent way. They are very positive and forward looking. Embracing the future and meeting the accommodation needs of their people.

topcatcbr

RKQ wrote: »

I agree, very well said Slig.

Planning should not be a problem in rural areas as we have a very strong history of corrugated metal roofing in Ireland. There are many examples in every county with metal roof or metal walls and roof.

Planning should not be a problem in urban areas as there are numerous metal clad boxes! (Adli tend to be quite attract in design which is not common - most metal boxes are poorly designed IMO)

Holland has really embraced contempory design, using many different materials, in an excellent way. They are very positive and forward looking. Embracing the future and meeting the accommodation needs of their people.

There are quite a few of these type of homes in the curragh. They are there since the foundation of the state. They are very comfortable inside. They look a little odd at first but as there is a few in close proximity to each other they fit in. also the fact that they are in character near a military post. They do look a bit auswitch

CJhaughey

The building that I am in now is a contemporary design and is clad in corrugated metal.
It is common in countries that have more relaxed and innovative planning laws than here, such as Australasia/South Africa.
As a material it has many advantages for roofing, light weight being one, this is not so important here but in a country that has more active geological events like New Zealand it is a disadvantage to have a heavy roof that could cause the structure to fail if the earthquake is of the side-to-side type.
The material is reusable and can be bent into curves that are hard to accomplish in conventional materials such as block.
In terms of durability, galvanised sheeting lasts for a long time with very little maintenence needed.
In short it has a lot of advantages , but maybe you need to have an open mind to appreciate them.

Juantorena

Judgement Day wrote: »

....
I am thinking of building a house using corrugated iron and I would appreciate any help that members can give.:)

The name that springs to mind immediately is Glen Murcutt(sp?) - British/Australian designer of corrugated iron buildings including (especially?) houses. Won the Pritzker prize a few years ago...

In fact, fingers crossed - I hope there will be a new addition to Irelands' corrugated iron house stock come Summer...;)

Jimbo

CJhaughey wrote: »

The building that I am in now is a contemporary design and is clad in corrugated metal.
It is common in countries that have more relaxed and innovative planning laws than here, such as Australasia/South Africa.
As a material it has many advantages for roofing, light weight being one, this is not so important here but in a country that has more active geological events like New Zealand it is a disadvantage to have a heavy roof that could cause the structure to fail if the earthquake is of the side-to-side type.
The material is reusable and can be bent into curves that are hard to accomplish in conventional materials such as block.
In terms of durability, galvanised sheeting lasts for a long time with very little maintenence needed.
In short it has a lot of advantages , but maybe you need to have an open mind to appreciate them.

Castletownbere, ya?
I've always admired that building when I passed it.

Do you get much noise from the corrugated part in the rain?

CJhaughey

Well spotted Holmes!
The building is fine in rain, the problem is lack of insulation, poor quality build means it is very cold now.
That and the fact that the oil boiler has stopped working....

brendansmith

I dunno tbh, i reckon the rain would be a problem due to noise and it wouldnt store heat and I wouldnt like to live in a house that someone could stab a hole in with a pocket knife.

CJhaughey

The material is used as a cladding and as such does not act as a heat store, neither do concrete blocks used as an outer leaf.
If the building is insulated properly and with correct attention to detail the noise will not be a problem.
2.5 mm zinc cladding is pretty strong stuff, you would want a strong pocketknife and a low braincell count to be starting that kind of carry-on:D

Quazzie

CJhaughey wrote: »

you would want a strong pocketknife and a low braincell count to be starting that kind of carry-on:D

Welcome to Ireland Mr Haughey, are you planning on staying here long?:D

RKQ

Corrugated iron punctured by pen knief - I don't think so! (Lump hammer & chisel would be required).... Anyway IMO its not much of an argument for not using corrugated metal panels.

Same argument could be used to dismiss glass walls or glazed elevations- Car showrooms, Civic Building, Company HQ, etc - Glass v's stone or rock or kid with catapult!:D

rathmore

Hi Guys

these links may be of use, some pictures of useage.
all of them roll corrugated sheets

http://www.tegral.ie/metalforming/showcase.asp

http://www.euroclad.ie/Templates/gallery.asp

http://www.steel.ie/Profiles/Corriclad.html

JohnBoy

in the more modern metal box designs I have to say I quite like the peugeot blue box dealerships.

Dr. Fell

I read an article in the Sunday times property section about an architect building a Cor Iron house in Letrim.

galwaytt

muffler wrote: »

Its a white elephant imo.

Why in the name of Jesus, Mary and their wee donkey would you want a roof that looks like something you'd find on a sheep shed?

LOLOLOL.........;)......because sometimes.......it' just cool !

sydthebeat wrote: »

steel frames exist as a building method, which you can finish with render / stone / timber etc

to have corregated steel profiles as a finish however is a very striking aesthetic finish, and not suitable for many persons tastes....

it would be a 'time and place' issue IMHO...

..the nickname around here, on the attached is.....'The House in the Hayshed'. I love it - wish I thought of it!

CJhaughey wrote: »

Well spotted Holmes!
The building is fine in rain, the problem is lack of insulation, poor quality build means it is very cold now.
That and the fact that the oil boiler has stopped working....

Tut tut. The above is far from it........ASHP......below-passive airtightness......it's not always what it seems........

Judgement Day

What an abomination! Neither a hayshed or a house. I still haven't got beyond the research stage but I won't be building anything remotely like that.

I was thinking more of something that you would like to come home to like this.

DOCARCH

There's a little pavillion just inside the gates of the Grange Golf Club in Rathfarnham that's clad in corrugated iron. There's probably the original timber under.

It inspired me so much that I have used the same colour and profile as rainscreen cladding on a building in a wooded setting in Cork!

Judgement Day

Now that's the sort of thing I was looking for - I must call in for a look.

Mellor

Dr. Fell wrote: »

I read an article in the Sunday times property section about an architect building a Cor Iron house in Letrim.

Do you mean Corten steel.
Or corregated, as the two are very very different.




anyway, regarding corregated roofs.
They are very common in australia. not just in a rural setting but its a very common material in historic sydney terraces, and becasue many new houses in the area are required to conform.

Even large, public buildings with a corregated roof are common.

alles

Hi all,

something that seems pertinent to this thread -

I have been gathering pix of corrugated iron (and other corrugated materials) in non-agricultural settings around Ireland for the last few years, and have the bones of a website up about it for the last year:

http://corrugated.yolasite.com/

I have several hundred pix but only have had time to put up a teeny few of them.

If you have pix of any corrugated iron use in non-agri buildings, particularly houses or shops,pubs etc I would be interested. The plan would be to put them on the site (acknowledgement will be given) and maybe in time to do a little book on them, or something. Maybe. sometime. I'm sure a lot of you know what I mean.

thanks.

Judgement Day

The Great Southern & Western Railway reached its peak at the turn of the 19th Century and with money running short, many of the buildings on its later branchlines were constructed from corrugated iron. The one below - at Cashel - was unusual in that it was a two storey building. The branchline was the last to be opened by the GS&WR (Dec.1904) and by then cheap and cheerful was the order of the day. As far as I know, the station is still there today but with a factory built right against it.



Lawrence Collection N.L.I

Judgement Day

Kenmare was another corrugated gem - dating from 1892/93 - but sadly long since swept away.



Lawrence Collection N.L.I

archtech

Judgement Day wrote: »

The Great Southern & Western Railway reached its peak at the turn of the 19th Century and with money running short, many of the buildings on its later branchlines were constructed from corrugated iron. The one below - at Cashel - was unusual in that it was a two storey building. The branchline was the last to be opened by the GS&WR (Dec.1904) and by then cheap and cheerful was the order of the day. As far as I know, the station is still there today but with a factory built right against it.



Lawrence Collection N.L.I

never knew there even was a train station in cashel one time.

tates1979

There's a small collection of 10 or 12 houses in Draperstown, County Derry that are made in this style. Still occupied and cared for! The area is Mallon Villas - check Google Maps for more pics....

mr.stonewall

Rearcross Church in Tipp is a little 'mettle church'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeromebmurphy/4865795200/

bertie 56

in Co Galway :

http://www.daft.ie/searchsale.daft?id=626888

(PS : i'm not the owner ! )