Bothag na Sroine

They embarked on a process that saw 12000 native trees planted to regenerate the cleared area as a native woodland. Once the woodland was established, planning was sought for a small off-grid bothy located on the former timber stacking area and utilising the remnants of the forestry roads installed for the previous commercial use. The bothy uses the Scottish Type 23a building standards exemption for small remote buildings. The bothy is constructed using no concrete, sitting on ground screws and a fully demountable foundation/support that is fully recyclable. The main structure is a SiPs system with corrugated steel cladding. Priority was give to being able to easily dismount and remove this building at the end of its service life and recycle most of its components. All services are generated on site with a 3.2kw solar array, a 10kwH battery system, a gravity fed water supply system, a bioroc passive sewage treatment system and a biomass stove that heats water and provides all cooking and primary space heating. The new forest still has Sitka Spruce plantation trees regenerating and the targeting thinning of these invasive trees is what supplies the biomass system with fuel. The bothy is elevated to allow log drying beneath as well as storage for the client’s canoes and far-reaching views from the deck area to the Balquhidder Braes. The architecture is that of a modest cabin, with simple geometry and a homogeneous olive-green external skin. Its unembellished form and uniform colouring allows the bothy to settle comfortably into its new native woodland setting.