House in Assynt
house in assynt house of the year

Sustainable simplicity in the Scottish Highlands

House in Assynt, as shown on Grand Designs: House of the Year 2021, is a masterclass in tackling remote plots

By Victoria Purcell |

RIBA called House in Assynt, located in the North West Highlands of Scotland, ‘an exemplary model of sustainable and considered architecture’. Little surprise then, that it made the House of the Year 2021 shortlist.

The sparsely populated coastal area of Assynt is known for its landscape and remarkable mountains. Beautiful to look at, but not so ideal for construction work.

Created by Mary Arnold-Forster Architects, the site had existing planning permission for a ‘traditional’ house facing onto the road. But on seeing the view, Mary decided to radically re-design the scheme and return to planning.

house in assynt from grand designs house of the year 2021

Photo: David Barbour Photography

Owners Heather and Phil had always had a hankering to live in the middle of nowhere, but didn’t know what they wanted, they just wanted something that ‘felt right with the terrain’.

Overlooking Loch Nedd and the Quinag mountains, the area is within the Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area – a protected area of exceptional scenery. Mary designed the 100sqm House in Assynt to sit ‘lightly on the landscape’ between two rocky outcrops, resting it on stilts on a barely there concrete strip, so as not to disturb the land more than was necessary.

Exceptional scenery it may be, but it’s a tricky spot to build a house. During Grand Design: House of the Year, presenter Damion Burrows described the site as a ‘rocky, boggy windswept wilderness’.

house in assynt house of the year 2021 shortlist

Photo: David Barbour Photography

RIBA called House in Assynt, located in the North West Highlands of Scotland, ‘an exemplary model of sustainable and considered architecture’. Little surprise then, that it made the House of the Year 2021 shortlist.

The sparsely populated coastal area of Assynt is known for its landscape and remarkable mountains. Beautiful to look at, but not so ideal for construction work.

Created by Mary Arnold-Forster Architects, the site had existing planning permission for a ‘traditional’ house facing onto the road. But on seeing the view, Mary decided to radically re-design the scheme and return to planning.

house in assynt from grand designs house of the year 2021

Photo: David Barbour Photography

Owners Heather and Phil had always had a hankering to live in the middle of nowhere, but didn’t know what they wanted, they just wanted something that ‘felt right with the terrain’.

Overlooking Loch Nedd and the Quinag mountains, the area is within the Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area – a protected area of exceptional scenery. Mary designed the 100sqm House in Assynt to sit ‘lightly on the landscape’ between two rocky outcrops, resting it on stilts on a barely there concrete strip, so as not to disturb the land more than was necessary.

Exceptional scenery it may be, but it’s a tricky spot to build a house. During Grand Design: House of the Year, presenter Damion Burrows described the site as a ‘rocky, boggy windswept wilderness’.

house in assynt house of the year 2021 shortlist

Photo: David Barbour Photography

Accessed only by a steep, eight-mile long single-track road, the problem that this project needed to solve was how to build a house in the middle of nowhere.

An offsite modular build was the answer. Carbon Dynamic – specialists in sustainable timber modular buildings – took on the challenge, building House in Assynt in 13 sections using Cross Laminated Timber and wood-fibre insulation. It was then transported two sections at a time by a single lorry and erected in just four days in windy, rainy conditions.

The finished house is formed of three distinct elements, linked by a glass-roofed corridor. The main pod to the front contains the living space, while two pods to the rear contain the master bedroom and en suite, as well as a utility room, shower room and store in the third pod.

views over loch nedd in assynt from house of the year 2021

Photo: David Barbour Photography

The house is striking on the outside as it is within. The charred timber exterior cladding is dark and low key, helping the building disappear into its setting. Damion called it a ‘masterclass in responding to its site’, noting that it looks and feels like its always been there.

Inside, RIBA judges were impressed by the entrance hallway. Lined in pine and silver fir, the glass-roofed hallway leads to the living room, which showcases the beautiful views over the loch and mountains through huge picture windows.

The property made the House of the Year 2021 shortlist not only due to its ability to respond to the site, and the challenges of building remotely, but because it is made, insulated and clad in timber.

light filled glass-roof hallway from assynt house of the year

Photo: David Barbour Photography

‘It’s an exemplar sustainable building,’ said RIBA judge Amin Taha. ‘This is the way we should all be going. There’s so much timber in here it ultimately it becomes carbon negative.’

Owner Heather calls the house ‘one of a kind’, adding that ‘building it was possible only with the vision, talent and experience of Mary Arnold-Forster’.

Watch Grand Designs: House of the Year featuring the House in Assynt on All 4

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