Loch Maree House, Scotland, Photos, Design, Property, Architect, Project, Images

Loch Maree Home : Scottish Highlands Property

Highland House, Rosshire, northwest Scotland – by rural design, architects

16 Jan 2006

Loch Maree House

Architect: rural design

images exclusive to e-architect

Lochside House in Rosshire

Rural Design architects, based on the Isle of Skye today revealed images of one of the most striking houses recently planned for the Scottish Highlands. The 500m2 house on the edge of Loch Maree in Rosshire in the Northwest Highlands replaces a former foresters cottage.

Set within a mature woodland setting, with views from the site directly towards Slioch, one of the best known mountains in Scotland, the house has been designed to embrace the spectacular scenery.

images © rural design architecture and landscape, scotland

All occupied spaces within the house have a direct connection to the outside and to the landscape beyond, this transparency is reflected by the layering of the facade comprised of vertical timber screens, glass balustrades and timber sliding windows. The angled facade reaches towards the landscape and also maximises the benefits of solar gain within the house.

To the west, the house is sheltered by a zinc roof, which appears to lean against the house, this creates the main entrance volume, and directs light into the heart of the plan. The main roof is planned to be a sedum blanket, a greywater system will harvest all roof water for use in the house.

Using the contours of the site the external spaces terrace down towards the loch, the decks mask the junction of the house and the ground, which appears to float over the landscape. Balanced between the south wing of the house and the massive concrete wall which projects out of the house, towards Slioch.

Due to the amenity of the mature landscape the public spaces of the house all have ground level access to the gardens, an existing rubble wall contains this territory and marks the memory of the pre existing building.

Making visual connections from space to space is a feature of the house. From each space connections are made throughout the house. The lounge has also been designed to fill the depth of the house and windows in the west façade align with openings in the east to give through views to the lower gardens & distant landscape.

The use of timber has been a key issue in the development of the design, and it is proposed to take full advantage of timber within the structure and cladding and energy use of the house.

It is currently planned to use solid timber construction for the structure, and it is believed that this would be the first use of this system in Scotland. The building will be clad in a range of materials, primarily timber cladding (shingles and board on board), timber screens, glass and render. A system of combined heat and power is proposed for the energy use of the house, ideally using locally sourced timber.

The house although formal in nature has taken its clues from the context and we hope makes a modest contribution to the debate on making housing in rural locations.

rural design are based on the Isle of Skye, and have established a practice specialising in the design of buildings and landscapes in the rural landscape of scotland. Wooden House has been featured in numerous magazines since featuring on ths site.

rural design

Location: Loch Maree, Scotland