Trillium Cottage Scotland, Moray Coast home, Scottish Highlands property, UK modern architecture images
Trillium Cottage on the Moray Coast
3 July 2023
Design: DS Architecture
Location: Moray Coast, Banffshire, Scotland
Photos © Ross Campbell and Aurora Imaging
Trillium Cottage, Scotland
This new Trillium Cottage on the Moray coast saw the demolition of an abandoned, dilapidated and unsympathetically altered cottage and construction of a new 3-bedroom home that seeks to echo the strong traditional forms and materials within the village, while offering a contemporary vision and updated take on the local townscape. A distinct but limited palette of materials including traditional lime render, larch cladding, slate and zinc roofing all contribute towards a home ideal for modern living whilst being sympathetic to its historic context.
What was the brief?
The brief called for the design of a new 3-bedroom dwelling, located within a tight plot of land positioned at the end of one of Findhorn’s characteristic lanes. The plot had an existing house in place – a former traditional fisherman’s cottage that had latterly been unsympathetically altered and extended. The poor construction quality of this structure meant it required to be demolished, which then offered the opportunity for the part of the new build to replicate the style of cottage formerly on the site and which helped to form the strong street pattern within the village.
What were the solutions?
The design was treated as two separate but interlinked structures – the first being a more traditional element echoing the style and proportions of the original fisherman’s cottage, while the second would be larger, over two storeys, and finished in more lightweight materials. The two elements would be linked by a single-storey connection that provided the main entrance to the house and operated as the fulcrum around which all circulation around the house worked.
The more traditionally styled structure would accommodate a large living space with private study. The larger space is bookended with a library wall which also conceals hidden loft storage at high level. The kitchen, utility, bathrooms and bedrooms are all located within the two storey structure, providing accessible accommodation on the entrance level.
What were the key challenges?
With a tight knit street pattern, access within and around the village is limited at best. To facilitate works, over 700 tonnes of sand and ground material required to be removed in loads of no more than 1 tonne at a time. Access for materials was so limited that it prevented prefabricated timber kit panels being delivered to site – everything was fabricated in situ. Concrete for the ground works required to be pumped 60m as that was as close to the site that a large vehicle could manage.
The village of Findhorn is almost entirely built over a sand dune and drainage provision is therefore typically shallow. In order to achieve a successful connection to the main drainage system, the entire property requires it’s waste drainage to be pumped up to allow it to then feed into the main system through gravity.
How is the project unique?
The opportunity to build a brand new house in the confines of the historic conservation village of Findhorn is very rare. As an end plot to one of the traditional lanes, or stripleys as they are locally referred to, the site was slightly larger than would otherwise be expected for a house in the village, offering an opportunity to maximise the potential and accommodate a larger than average house.
What building methods were used?
The building is entirely timber framed. The more traditional element is finished using time honoured materials and techniques – lime render on masonry as the outer skin with slate roof. It has an added ‘sun room’ structure which is clad in randomly arranged vertical larch cladding. The two storey element is finished to be the inverse of this – predominantly clad in timber with the single-storey element projecting to the south finish in lime render. The roof of the two-storey structure is finished in standing seam zinc, with parapet upstands at each gable to avoid any overhanging eaves, allowing the cladding to weather evenly.
Trillium Cottage in Moray Coast, Scotland – Building Information
Design: DS Architecture – https://dsarchitecture.co.uk/
Project size: 150 m2
Completion date: 2020
Building levels: 2
Photographs © Ross Campbell and Aurora Imaging
Trillium Cottage, Moray Coast, Scotland images / information received 030723 from DS Architecture
Location: Moray, Banffshire, Scotland
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