the project

Our clients’ priorities for this build are a high-quality and contemporary style new home that’s full of light, and which maximises views of the local mountain. They wish to live more sustainably, and need a home which is fully wheelchair accessible.

They have specified the desire for a central open-plan kitchen/dining and sitting room, and to achieve high levels of comfort, while living in a greener way.

While large, modern and dramatic, the house must also sit appropriately in the existing landscape in this village, north of Glasgow.

 

 

How we worked

The house design is classically arranged but uses contemporary materials, and is smart enough in appearance to sit confidently alongside its prestigious neighbours. From the outset of the design process, the intention has been to create a house which is contextually appropriate in the surrounding semi-rural area.

The site is fairly level and the challenge was to fit the required ground floor accommodation within a massing that sits well on the site. To achieve this, we created a series of single storey blocks with articulated roof planes. This breaks down the massing into more visually digestible elements. The H-shaped plan, stone cladding and pitched roof are all very classical or traditional approaches to a designing a building, and contrast pleasantly with the more contemporary elements such as curtain walling and zinc roofing.

The proposal strives to create an exemplar of a high quality, accessible and sustainable home in a location that seamlessly combines elements of the traditional and contemporary.

 

Success of the project

We anticipate great success with this attractive modern house, particularly as a sustainable design. The proposals include plans for at least two renewable technologies: solar photo voltaic panels and a ground source heat pump. The house will also have a battery for back-up power and an electric vehicle charging point.

We also feel it will be an enjoyable home for our clients, who will benefit from low running costs, high levels of comfort, and an appealing modern design, with views across impressive local countryside.