New House, Scotland

Belmont, Scotland

New House, Scotland

This 8,000 sq. ft. new private residence is set in the planted landscape of a 19th century estate and maximises its spectacular location. The house is built into a steep slope and faces south and west with panoramic views of the castle and the Portland Hills.

The approach to the front of the house is from below, up a steep winding road through mature woodland. The cantilevered living room and balcony project out over a broad horizontal rubble stone wall through which is the entrance. After proceeding down a gallery and ascending a lift at the end, the full extent of the views are finally revealed upon stepping out into the second floor living room. This main living floor also contains a dining room and open plan kitchen with a conservatory and external barbecue terrace orientated towards the west.

The third floor contains the master bedroom with its projecting bay window and double doors overlooking the living room below. Three further bedrooms on this floor look out to the base of a wooded glade to the North.

On the fifth floor, the ‘Captain’s Walk’ contains a day bed and offers panoramic three hundred and sixty degree views of the surrounding landscape. It is reached by a lift to the fourth floor and a diminishing width staircase thereafter. A ‘workroom’, with office and sewing area are situated on the intermediate first floor.

The sectional design of the building which is cut deep into the rock (dolorite), and the angle of the mono pitch roof, which is parallel to the natural slope of the site, both serve to diminish the true mass of the building. Reinforced blockwork retaining walls, with a bolted steel structure above, act as the primary structure with beam, block and timber joists spanning spanning between. External finishes include white render; Stantonmore stone; black anodised aluminium framed double glass and stainless steel fascia to the toughened glass balustrades.

The building, because of its orientation and passive design, creates a warmer, friendlier climate within it and through the use of large sliding full height double glass doors onto balconies and terraces allows the extended use of external spaces beyond the normal summer season.