A small holiday house located in the township of Fiscavaig on th
image: Andrew Lee | © all rights reserved
image: Andrew Lee | © all rights reserved
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On the first visit on the site it was difficult to see how any proposal could succeed if it disrupted a landscape that did not lend itself to intervention. The gentle undulations present evoked the timeless character of Skye and its underlying geology.
"Untouched since the Ice Age, it seemed presumptuous that we, in our short time, should alter the site to suit our own purposes...", by Rural Design
The decision to lift the building off the ground on short concrete columns resolved our dilemma, released us from convention, and allowed the house to relate to the wider context - the views to the north and the sun from the south.
The form of the house deliberately narrows to the north, reducing its surface area, concentrating the view and leaning into the weather, while the cellular support spaces are clustered to the south. The lighthouse in the distance acts as a beacon to draw the focus of the house.
The entrance bridge lifts one off the landscape and immediately upon entering one is drawn to the fully-glazed elevation to the north.
The structure of the house is deliberately on display and the flying central beam that stiffens the structure provides scale to the large volume.
