A House of Clay & Bronze

A House of Clay & Bronze is the restoration and extension of a wonderful traditional building in the North-East of Scotland that had fallen into disrepair— to create a contemporary and contextual rural home. Our client fell in love with the historic Doocot on this secluded site, and from the earliest part of the design process it was important that the Doocot remain the vertically dominant element on the site. By contrast, the bulk of the house would ‘sink’ into the slope of the land facing to the South, and only be visible from within the site itself. New elements take the form of a series of ‘wings’, built from dark clay Danish bricks, and topped with a grass roof, finished in bronze to the underside of the large overhang. Hunkering into the landscape, respecting the existing topography, gives a solidity to the building. The adjacent historic Doocot meanwhile, remains the most prominent feature on approach, serving as the entrance to the house. The home is heated by a ground-source heat pump system, with the house adopting a fabric-first approach. This sees the envelope built to standards far in excess of building regulation targets, greatly minimising energy usage, whilst maximising solar gain from the South. This integration with the historic building is crucial to the success of the project, and ensures that the new house is inspired by, and indeed part of, the context and character of the site.