New Dwelling, Easthaven

Dwelling | East Haven, Scotland

Project - New Build Dwelling

Client - Private Client

Contract Value - Undisclosed

Description

The site is located within the small town of Easthaven, an attractive rural coastal village with stunning sea views, active fishing/agricultural community and a rich Scottish vernacular including fishing cottages, fisherman work sheds and ‘bothy’ type dwellings, as well as a number of substantial detached villas. The site sits within the existing plot of Fourwinds towards the north by Craig Road. At present the site exists as part of the Four Winds property, containing a large detached late 19th century dwelling, which also includes a double garage positioned by the grounds entrance along with a vegetable patch to the west of the existing house.

The proposed site sits within a desired seaside area with lush green space, local farmland and nearby waterfront and beach. The site offers potential for a high quality, seaside dwelling with spectacular views out towards the North Sea along convenient access to scenic costal path.

The existing house grounds stretch from the track access road (from Craig Road) some 70m south, bordering Easthaven beach. In its current state the existing house only occupies a small portion of the site (165m ² of 4040m ²) positioned at the border of the site towards the beach, maximising sea views. It was important that the addition of the dwelling did not detract from the value of the existing property, therefore utilising the vast area of land towards the north of the site retains a high level of privacy for both dwellings whilst also providing access from the pre-existing vehicle driveway. It was also imperative that building referenced the local vernacular along with its integration within the environmental context.

The guiding design principles for the proposal draws from the characterful fishing sheds and bothy context to construct a small steading like dwelling. The design approach derives from the bothy and byre arrangement, with an emphasis on maximising views to the south-east, with a massing arrangement which generates a sheltered courtyard accessible to both the living and sleeping quarters. The design utilizes two identically proportioned roof elements (living quarters are shorter in length) in a modern interpretation of east coast Scottish vernacular. Both elements are linked at the heart of the house by a thin glass link corridor that provides clear views and direct access to the courtyard area as well as the internal spaces from the main entrance. A rotation was applied to the design to help anchor the building into the site whilst also improving privacy of the sleeping quarters and maximising views.

The layout has been based around providing a higher degree of privacy to the east façade (visible from the site entrance, facing the access road) with limited windows, whilst the west and especially the south are opened to a much greater degree, with a small enclosed decked area positioned to maximise the evening sun whilst providing shelter from the prevailing winds. Sleeping accommodation is to the north-west of the footprint, again to provide greater privacy and uninterrupted views.

A restrained palate of materials was implemented to better accentuate the use of high-quality materials and building finishes. Siberian larch cladding is proposed as the main material for outer skin of the building, it is intended this would either be treated with a specialist coating (si: OOX) to allow a uniform silver-grey appearance. The roof material is intended to be of high-quality slate with the addition of concealed roof gutters to maintain a refined, clean appearance to the façade of the building. Windows are to be anthracite grey framed or black to most areas.

In summary the overall aim has been to produce a scheme that offers a modern interpretation of the traditional east coast ‘bothy’ dwelling, providing a building that responds to context whilst adding to the character of the location.