The Woodland Suite Experience at The Montenotte, Cork
Henry J Lyons has designed ten elegant timber-clad guest suites offering an extraordinary woodland experience at Cork’s Montenotte Hotel.
Once the formal stepped garden of the hotel’s original mansion house, the existing landscape had become overgrown, its surfeit of sycamore trees limiting ecological diversity. A highly responsive site approach creates pockets of architectural opportunity by strategically removing failing trees, navigating the complex existing topography, and retaining historic features including stone steps and brick landscape walls.
Two lodge types embrace two different site conditions: within a cleared expanse of land to northwest, River Suites enjoy expansive views of the wildflower meadow and the city, while at the steeper south, the ‘nest’-like Woodland Suites sit on stilts to mingle with the tree line. An additional lodge, known as The Clubhouse, provides a social space with sunset views. Every architectural decision, from form and materiality to siting and servicing, has been carefully considered to ensure the incredible landscape retains centre stage.
Each lodge has been crafted for a unique relationship to its site, a relationship that will change fluidly with the seasons and as the newly diversified landscape matures.
Windows in the Woodland Suites’ organic forms have been strategically placed for a sense of immersion in the forest. The framed architecture of the River Suites creates a sense of intimacy within their more open setting while maximising long-range views. Every suite steps into nature via its own balcony, with the spatial arrangement of adjacent suites staggering in three dimensions to ensure no balcony is overlooked by its neighbour. The extremely sensitive and constrained site created complexity in terms of accessing and servicing each unit while minimising impact on tree roots – a complexity which has been skilfully resolved through the creation of gently meandering routes that accommodate both people and services.
Internally, the organisation of every suite prioritises privacy and the landscape connection, while Rosin Lafferty’s refined interiors use luxurious natural materials which complement their setting. The external expression of the lodges is beautifully subtle, with blackened spruce cladding, black aluminium windows, and black metal framing creating a sleek backdrop for an Irish woodland’s rainbow of greens.
