To build on my last post about the gorgeous Kentucky rock fences, I wanted to highlight a fantastic residential project in south west Scotland that was brought to my attention by my coworker and friend Jim.
The Deepstone House, by Simon Winstanley Architects, is a stunning example of a contemporary building that is sited such that it fits perfectly and unobtrusively into the surrounding landscape. The home is literally built up out of the old rock walls and stone bluff around it, creating a sense that it not only belongs where it is but has always been there.
So often in contemporary and modern architecture, you come across buildings that are designed as mere objects, placed within the urban fabric like a piece of art that acts as its own stand alone composition without drawing on its cultural, physical, or topographic context. This is not always a bad thing, but unique object after unique object has the tendency to become repetitive and dull. The unexpected become expected. The creative becomes mainstream.
As one of my favorite undergraduate professors would argue, a building like the Pompidou Center in Paris, France is special and unique because it exists within the strongly knit fabric of traditional Parisian architecture. The building stands out and provides a shock by mere contrast. Whereas in the Unites States, we've become so used to object-like buildings that they have lost the wow-factor.
The Pompidou Center. Architects Piano & Rogers.
Excuse my digression... but this is an area of passion for me... back to the topic of the day!
The Deepstone House provides a refreshing example of contemporary architecture that is respectful of place. The home is built on a steep slope (formerly a quarry) that overlooks the Solway Firth in Scotland.
As you can see from the image below, the views of the landscape are spectacular.
The image below provides a glimpse of the simple material palette of the structure, everything is natural and muted, taking nothing away from the gorgeous colors of the surrounding land. The design of the building is interesting and contemporary without being overpowering.
The view below offers a nice perspective of the siting of the home. You can see the steep bluff behind the home clearly in this picture. And isn't that deck fabulous?
I love the shot below because you really get a sense of why the house was designed with its sharply angled roof, allowing not only light, but views of the sky in both the front and the back of the home despite the steep grade at the rear.
The images below of the sides of the home reinforce for me the angled roof as one of the key components of the project's composition. The home tucks into the surrounding topography perfectly.
You get views of the beautiful stonework at the base of the home in these shots. The stone provides a visually strong and solid base for the much lighter and airy top portion of the house. You also begin to get a sense of how the selection and use of this stone ties into the existing landscape and stone structures that have likely been there for hundreds of years.
The various textures in these images are incredible...
Now for my favorite images... does this house not look as though it belongs here? For such an incredibly new, innovative, and modern home, it fits in perfectly with the older surroundings and traditional neighboring homes. Kudos to Simon Winstanley Architects!
