The Tea Hut
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The ‘Tea Hut’ is a contemporary folly designed to respect and reflect its sensitive landscape setting on the shores of a west coast Scottish sea loch.
Located in a beautiful historic woodland, the cantilevered summerhouse was commissioned and conceived as a midge-proof celebration of its picturesque location. It is accessed from a stone plinth, and replaces a timber clad hut, complete with secret drinks cabinet, where the ladies of the house formerly ‘took tea’. The building was erected atop the plinth and once complete it was winched forward on steel rails to hover over its steeply sloping site.
A glass floor enhances the experience of the water below. The architects designed not only the primary building elements but also the furniture, which is integrated around a central core. The sofa transforms into a guest bed with breathtaking views across the loch. The building is highly unique and bespoke in its design, detailing and construction.
Data
- Begun: Oct 2017
- Completed: Mar 2019
- Floor area: 42m2
- Sector: Residential
- Tender date: Feb 2014
- Procurement: SBCC Minor Works
- Address: Argyll, United Kingdom
Materials 
Professional Team
- Architect: Roxburgh McEwan Architects
- Client: Private
- Structural engineer : AED Consulting
- QS: McLeod & Aitken Edinburgh Ltd
- Main contractor: Sloan Builders
- Selected subcontractor and suppliers: Glazing supplier Gray & Dick Ltd
