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The Red House , Croftamie , Glasgow , Stirlingshire , G63 0EU , United Kingdom
This is a very exciting project that required the design and build of a very large contemporary house in a sensitive rural location. Our clients love the mountains and this had to be reflected in a subtle way. We agreed on a wild outlook and four tall and dramatic chimneys in this expansive contemporary steel-framed design. The site was an initial challenge bringing up some good creative responses for this contemporary designed home. It forms a sharply curved boomerang shape with stunning views to the north. We decided to follow the natural progression of the land in the design, which the clients agreed with. The site is also on different levels and we therefore bedded the one and a half storey house into the rural landscape. We created a simple continuous ridge for the house, which is broken by four tall and dramatic chimneys. Its openings are large, with contemporary flowing spaces and a grand-scale central double volume gallery hall linking the two sides of the house. The two rear wings and a south facing courtyard offer private entertaining in a more garden like setting and in contrast to the wild north-facing moor setting. The clients had original plans drawn up for something quite different, however, the success of this project has derived from the new plan formed together using the landscape as an inspiration. The house successfully meets all the clients’ criteria and enhances the location of the house. It is the first steel framed house we have built and a successful method because of the large open plan spaces and wide spans of this dramatic large contemporary house.