THE BROCHS OF COIGACH // HIGHLAND


The Brochs of Coigach

PROFILE

Architect:
Client: 
Location: 
Type:   
Description:






Awards:
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SBA Architects
Private client
Achiltibuie, Ross-shire
Single houses
The Brochs of Coigach are two holiday cottages designed to sit on the hillside of Coigach – a remote peninsula in the sea that separates the Highlands of Scotland and the Western Isles. In significant contrast to the trend for kit housing, these homes blend into their setting, built into the landscape with great care.
RIAS Andrew Doolan Awards Finalist 2011
Triton Chemicals
Flickr

  Working with the
Landscape 
  Respect the landscape setting
  and the traditional building
  patterns of the locality

  Responding to the
Site 
  Consider the immediate context
  and allow specific site conditions 
  to influence design

  How to
be inspired 
  Inspirational ideas for
  sustainable, creative
  and innovative design
  • The Brochs of Coigach are modern recreations of an
    ancient concept.
  • Brochs are Iron Age roundhouses peculiar to the northwest of the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
  • The buildings are embedded entirely within dry stone walls
    so as to minimise their impact
    on the landscape.
  • The houses blend in perfectly with the landscape due to the irregular contours of the dry stone walls and turf roofs.
  • The turf roof is designed to fit naturally into the escarpment and blend with the
    surroundings.
  • In the UK, green roofs are
    more commonly flat or of very shallow pitch, but their installation on to pitched or undulating roofs is becoming increasingly popular.
  • The two houses are timeless
    in their appearance but contemporary in their substance.
  • Platon Xtra, the system’s
    drainage layer, is
    manufactured from HDPE, a material that is water
    repellent and resistant to chemicals.
  • Mestertekk provides the
    primary waterproofing layer
    to the system. It is loosely
    laid and mechanically fixed. When used on refurbishment contracts it can be applied
    over the original covering with minimal preparation.
  • Mestertekk and Platon Xtra
    are quick and easy to install.

 

 

 

Page updated: Wednesday, June 27, 2012