Ardnamurchan Zero Carbon Bothy
Situated among the Atlantic Oakwoods of Ardnamurchan, this project involved the construction of a new zero-carbon house. Its small size and Highlands location lends it the feel of a contemporary take on the traditional Scottish ‘bothy’. As a new build rural house, the design was subject to strict planning controls which informed the stylistic influence from vernacular outbuildings, employing traditional profiled steel and locally sourced timber cladding.
The building is constructed using an insulated timber panel system, with timber and plaster internal finishes. Its cladding is milled from renewable timber sources within 8km of the site, and its foundations support legs that lift the building away from the ground and reduce concrete volumes. Due to these measures the building is carbon neutral (‘zero carbon’) from the point of view of its embodied energy.
In use, electrical power is derived from on-site photovoltaic panels, and supplemented by local hydroelectric sources. The house is super-insulated and designed to maximize winter solar gain and minimize heat loss, with heating provided by a single wood-fired stove. Fuel for the stove is supplied from the same local renewable larch forests as used in the cladding. With fresh water supplied from a nearby stream and waste water processed on site, the building is close to being off-grid.
Client: Private client
Project Type: Newbuild home
Location: Scottish Highlands
Status: Complete
Budget: £140,000
