The project at Laide on the coast north of Gairloch, was to renovate and convert an old, disused icehouse to form a new dwelling. The client had fond memories of working in the building in his youth when it still played an important role in the local fishing industry in the 1970s.
Many icehouses were built around the coast of Scotland in the nineteenth century, often associated with salmon fishing. The ice was broken out at a local loch in the winter months and deposited in the storage chamber through an opening at high level on the land side. Consequently the building is built into a deep cleft in the cliffs with the only access on the seaward side.
Although it is not listed the ice house forms an important part of the local built heritage. The client was keen to preserve as much of the existing structure as possible, however the building was very rudimentary. It had solid, uneven floors, cracked walls with water seeping through from the bedrock behind and decayed timber rafters. Externally there was a mix of rough stonework and render.
The brief was to create a three bedroom holiday house to make the most of the views and take advantage of the shoreside location. The design places the main living area on the upper floor to take advantage of light and views. The entrance is through a small porch extension which leads through to an open plan kitchen, dining, living space focussed on the view through the glazed gable end. The roof structure is expressed and additional rooflights give the space a light and airy feel. In contrast the lower floor contains the three bedrooms and a bathroom tucked into a semi-basement. A new ground floor lean-to replicates an original extension.
The project had a number of significant constraints. The site is very steep and has a single aspect, with access to the lower level only possible along the beach. It is also close to sea level so some flood mitigations such as flood barriers were incorporated.
The client was keen that the building should minimise carbon emissions and as well as a good level of insulation to the existing structure it incorporates a double array of PV panels.
The project overcame a number of practical and design difficulties to create a building which celebrates and preserves an important piece of local heritage.
