The Bungalow: The Last Taboo.

An investigation into Co. Mayo’s ordinary homes

Thesis

2016

University of Westminster, London

Sir Banister Fletcher Award

The domestic bungalow is the last taboo in the field of architecture. Its international popularity has tarnished the typology as common place. It has been the subject of mockery for decades and therefore deemed unworthy of architectural merit.

In Ireland, the bungalow is the most prevalent build of choice, yet limited research into their origins and representation has been carried out. This study questions the validity of the taboo surrounding the typology through an investigation of the bungalows that are scattered across the landscape. Co. Mayo is the focus for this research as it is the nucleus and avenue through which political, social and economic changes have penetrated. The bungalow, as the default family home, documents a pivotal shift in social progression that has transformed the lives of the rural population. A case study of 90 homes looks to uncover the evolution of these ‘ordinary’ dwellings though the lives of the non-architects who both build and live in them.