Colbost House: Dualchas Architects reinvent the Scottish black shed on the Isle of Skye
However, belying this rigorous, even austere concept is a generous, light-flooded and eminently user-friendly four-bedroom home for a family of five on the Isle of Skye.
The single-storey, open-plan living areas to the front of the site revel in views over Loch Dunvegan towards the Western Isles via a substantial strip of glazing. By contrast, the separate storey-and-a-half bedroom accommodation nestles into the shadow of the crag behind. In order to reduce the bulk of the substantial 246 sq m house, the volumes have been cleverly arranged into what appears to be two conjoined blockhouses - the scale of which sits snugly rather than oppressively within the coastal landscape.
The whole arrangement of Colbost House - which also includes a separate garage, wood store and heat pump shelter - appears from the road as a discreet, low-slung collection of agricultural buildings, essentially creating the effect of a contemporary farm courtyard. Each component echoes the traditional black sheds (annes in Gaelic) that pepper the island. Indeed one is located on the track leading up to the new house.
In Colbost, the architect has effectively reimagined the simple, stalwart vernacular forms of the traditional Scottish Highlands as an ultra-contemporary dwelling - not only in terms of energy efficiency and leading-edge remote technology, but also in the expansive top-lit spaces. And in doing so has created something of a template for a new generation of rural 'blackhouses'.
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
Into the woods: a Hampshire home by Alma-nac is the perfect retreat
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
Noiascape’s refined co-living digs for generation rent in London
By Harriet Thorpe Last updated
-
Hot stuff: a Chilean house draws on its volcanic landscape
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
A Hampstead home by Groves Natcheva brings art deco into the 21st century
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
A San Francisco live/work space plays with opacity and transparency
By Sarah Amelar Last updated
-
Victorian minimalist: inside Gable House’s pared-back Scandi interior
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
Studio Saxe’s twin villas in Costa Rica make for the perfect tropical retreat
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
Disco fever: a dynamic duo reinvents a London townhouse
By Christopher Stocks Published