“The Place by the Way”

We were invited by Clonaslee College, Laois to present a number of workshops and actively engage Transition year students in the design development of their school courtyard.

We used the award winning ‘Grounded Garden ‘as a precedent study to describe design process. Using a step by step approach with diagrams, photography, sketches and video as visual aids. Students were taught how to draw in plan and articulate their vision for the courtyard both verbally and in sketch format.

The collective ideas informed the layout and conceptual design, which was later presented to the school to initiate a funding drive for the project.

Located at the foothill of Slieve Bloom the design concept stems from the Placename Clonaslee – translated as ‘The Place By The Way’.

A band of coloured stone proposed to flow through the courtyard links the past to the future in its consideration of ‘The Way’, the ancient King’s Road to Tara. Here, we use it as a symbol of fluidity, the journeys of both present and future students.

Five locally sourced boulders reference those found locally at the Giant's Grave and act as resting areas, and foci points in the courtyard. A biodiverse selection of flowering perennials and grasses coupled with linear seating arrangements, where social distancing can be arranged encourages greater use of the space.