The architect celebrated the surroundings by lifting the building up to avoid breaking any rock at all
RIAS Scottish Award winner 2021
Mary Arnold-Forster Architects for private client
Contract value: undisclosed
GIA: 100m2
With this site in a spectacular part of the west coast of Scotland the architect wanted to celebrate the surroundings by lifting the building up off the land to avoid breaking any rock at all. The resulting home of 13 fir-lined cross-laminated timber modules was manufactured off-site, then delivered and assembled in just four days. Wood fibre external insulation is overlaid with larch rainscreen cladding, creating a warm building that robustly resists the elements. The modules make up the three main spaces of the two-bedroom house, with a long, top-lit corridor linking the three pods. This is lined with the same larch as the exterior and defines the three linked forms, which are all punctuated by windows that offer intimate portraits of rocks and heather, before rolling on to the epic views of Loch Nedd and Quinaig beyond.