Coldrach

Set near the foot of Lochnagar at Crathie in the Scottish Highlands, Coldrach is an 18-century ‘but and ben’ farmhouse that has been extended to incorporate new living space and create a sheltered, West-facing courtyard. The new is connected to the old by a frameless band of glass, with the remainder of the addition clad in untreated Scottish larch and red-oxide corrugated metal sheets. The result aims to not only mimic the austerity and ad-hoc charm of the existing granite home’s architecture, typical of the Highlands, but also continue the use of vernacular materials – honest and elementary. Its old building was restored using traditional techniques, where its new addition adds to the home modern elements: larger windows to help take in views of the nearby summit, and sliding doors to allow the home to open onto the courtyard. The extension nestles slightly below ground level, giving it a natural relationship with its impressive surrounding landscape. A fully planted meadow roof atop the link between buildings does the same: providing something simultaneously of notable newness and beauty but also of harmony with nature and past.