Strone of Glenbanchor

The works than doubled the floor area of the existing cottage and brought back to life an unused and unloved property. The clients wanted a comfortable home with both a physical and visual connection to the stunning surrounding landscape.

This brief required a significant addition of area, which meant that the property needed to more than double in area - which planning policy generally discourages. We agreed that the massing of the extension(s) should be broken down so that no single ‘element’ was larger than the original house in foot print, that no extension should be taller than the original house, and that the two extensions should be hard to see simultaneously from the public road.

A single storey leg was proposed to the back of the original house, trapezium in plan to maximise views out to the landscape from all the living accommodation. A second extension was formed on one gable of the cottage, and a large strip dormer was added to the existing cottage to add some height to the first floor.

Strone is a project of contrasts. It is a traditional cottage paired with a contemporary series of extensions. It is small, but it feels big. It is confident in it’s own architecture, but it is deferential to it’s outstanding setting. It provides a new lease of life for an old building which would otherwise have fallen into dereliction.

It provides a wonderful example of how new architecture can breathe life into old buildings, pointing towards a sustainable approach to managing our old building stock in these rural locations throughout Scotland.

Annual CO2 emissions data (requested in kg/m2/year) was not provided.