Lui Cottage

The new architecture draws on and reinterprets the forms, proportions and material character of Braemar’s building tradition. The larger extension takes the wee house as its starting point, transforming its compact form through an exposed timber structure and carefully positioned openings.

The architecture is deliberately particular to its place. Roof pitches, openings and the relationship between masonry and timber are drawn from the existing buildings, while familiar details are reworked to meet contemporary needs. Flared eaves and projecting gutters, for example, reinterpret traditional proportions while bringing more daylight into the interior and casting rainwater clear of the timber structure.

Material and construction reinforce the same idea. Granite provides a robust base to the new work, while timber and wood-derived materials are used extensively above. Timber elements are raised clear of the ground and protected by deep projecting eaves, allowing the structure to remain dry and ventilated. Locally sourced materials are used wherever practicable, reducing embodied energy while rooting the new construction in its surroundings.

The disposition of the new buildings is similarly derived from the site. New accommodation occupies the flatter ground to the north and east of the cottage, allowing the principal south elevation to remain dominant. The extensions are deliberately set back, with their massing kept below the eaves and ridge of the existing building. Together, old and new enclose an external courtyard and establish a more intimate relationship between house and garden.

Landscape is treated as another part of the composition rather than as its backdrop. Reorganised access, garden spaces and the granite base bind the individual buildings into the terrain, while creating a series of outdoor spaces that can be appropriated in different ways over time.