A subtle mimicking of the surrounding hills has allowed this Angus home to become part of the landscape.
Taking its cue – and hue – directly from the Angus landscape, Zinc House fits perfectly into its surroundings. In fact, it has an almost chameleon-like presence on the brow of the hill on which it sits, overlooking the rolling hills towards St Andrews and the sea beyond. On a cloudy day it appears as a battleship grey, yet against blue skies it seems almost green in colour. And on a rainy day the house and its surrounding sandstone courtyard walls gradually turn the same colour.
None of this happened by chance, as architect Graeme Hutton explains: “The stone in the area has this lovely mossy-green tone. We liked it so much we originally thought of using it to clad the house, topped with a zinc roof. But the more we experimented with the local sandstone the more we realised that it had limitations as a building material. The site is very exposed and the sandstone would have quickly eroded in the wind and frost.
“But one day when I was thinking about the project, I had an idea. I texted the clients, saying, ‘Let’s do the whole thing in zinc, with just the boundary walls and courtyard in sandstone.’ They gave the go-ahead right away,” he says.
“The greeny-grey chlorite in the local stone is what informed the decision to clad the building in a single skin of zinc. When we first put the zinc sample next to the wet stone on site, the colour matched. It was a eureka moment!”
The appropriately named Zinc House also looks to the Angus land scape in terms of its form, echoing the agricultural sheds that had previously stood on the site, which owners Richard and Jackie Callison purchased in 2005 along with the neigh bouring farmhouse and land. The couple, who had lived in a converted cottage adjacent to the farm for almost 30 years, knew those sheds had views to die for.
This story is from the January-February 2017 edition of Homes & Interiors Scotland.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January-February 2017 edition of Homes & Interiors Scotland.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Escape EASTSIDE COTTAGES
This tiny house, full of clever architectural solutions, is hidden away in a valley near Penicuik
THE WRITE ANGLE
This glasshouse in Edinburgh was a necessary upgrade for two writers who needed an escape from family life
Turn back the clock
Sometimes we have to look back to step forward. This home was stripped of its ultra-modern interior - and it has never looked better
A place of our own
Bold, brave choices paid off handsomely when the owners of this Edinburgh flat decided to put their stamp on the place
MORE THAN SKIN DEEP
The beauty of this Edwardian home lies not just in its gorgeous surfaces, but in a full-scale retrofit that's made it as energy efficient as a new Passivhaus
SPACE TO BREATHE
Several ugly extensions marred this cottage in rural Aberdeenshire until a rethink gave its owners a simplified layout and much more eco-friendly home
MELANIE O'DONNELL - Ceramic artist
The best thing about creating ceramics is the way you can get lost in another world.
GIVEN A LIFT
This snug offers a place to lounge and space to dine
ROLL PLAY
Wallpaper is back - and it's ready to be the star of the show
Escape USONIA
This Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired retreat in the Borders comes with its own sauna and hot tub