from the architect. This new beach-side house replaces a 1970’s
bungalow with a house that engages with its dramatic coastal
location and aims to enable its occupants to luxuriate in the special
views over the Firth of Forth.
Wrapping zinc roof planes and timber-boarded screens sit on
and inside more massive whitewashed masonry walls, which also
extend away from the house to create pockets of shelter and some
privacy on what is a very public site.
The building form is broken in to parts to tie it in with the scale and
massing of its vernacular neighbours, with a range of living space
with a horizontal sedum- covered roof tying the parts together.
Internal materials are simple and utilitarian with a timber OSB lining
to the children’s bothy and smooth concrete screed throughout the
ground floor. Part of the main roof is formed in fully integrated solar
PV panels which also form the weathering layer.
The main entrance to the house from the landward side is between
the two main sections of the house, which frame a view through to
a lighthouse on the far side of the beach.
The largest two-storey section accommodates the kitchen,
utility and bedroom spaces, and the smaller bothy-like section
is dedicated to a four bed children’s bunk-loft with its own living
space and shower room.
The living space linking these is largely glazed, with open plan
sitting, dining and TV spaces.
By contrast, the landward side is deliberately more closed down
and protects the privacy of the house.
A palette of timber boarding and zinc was chosen to reflect the feel
of sea-side boat sheds.
Moving louvre panels enable some control over solar gain at the
southern beach frontage.
First floor bedrooms look out over the sedum roof, bringing the
landscape and seascape right up to the window sills.