A modern stone and wood house with large windows sits on a grassy hillside. The foreground features wildflowers, while rolling hills and trees stretch into the distance under a soft, golden sunset sky.

Chapel Brae

Aberdeenshire, Scotland

2021 — ongoing

Client Private Client

Buildings · Private Homes

Sited on the northern slopes of Auchendryne in Braemar, this family home steps with the landform to overlook the River Dee. Conservatively addressing the public street to the south with stone, slate and timber, the internal spaces dramatically open up to the views to the north.

Modern homes with large windows and stone exteriors are set on a grassy hillside. The landscape features wildflowers and trees under a cloudy evening sky, creating a serene and tranquil atmosphere.

A minimalist architectural floor plan sketch with various interconnected lines and rectangles, depicting the layout of a building's interior rooms and corridors on a white background.

Architectural site plan depicting a rectangular property with a detailed layout of a house and surrounding greenery. The house has multiple sections and the plan includes driveways, trees, and nearby structures.

Organised into two wings; private to the west and more social spaces to the East; the plan is arranged as a sequence of rooms to meet, eat and enjoy life around the home. The primary suite and living space are positioned at the end of each wing to capture the vistas across the strath.

A serene scene with wooden cabins and dark roofs nestled among lush greenery, set against a backdrop of green-covered hills. The foreground features a field with tall, sunlit grass.

A modern house with a stone and wooden exterior stands in a grassy field. A large window reveals a softly lit interior with minimalist decor. In the background, trees are silhouetted against a cloudy, dusk sky.

A fabric first approach utilising passivehouse levels of insulation, performance glazing and robust detailing will minimise operational energy losses. Reclaimed granite transported from a local stockpile of downtakings will form two masonry armatures around which the predominantly timber construction of each wing is arranged. Projecting eaves and cantilevered gutters extend beyond the wallheads, encircling the building with a sheltered external perimeter.