The Fernaig Cottage has been nominated for one of the UK’s most prestigious architecture awards, The RIBA House of the Year 2017. The former Shepherd’s cottage can be found in Wester Ross, Scottish Highlands. The cottage is already award winning, having received the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland Awards 2017.
The cottage was saved from dilapidation by Gillian Scampton, of Pedder & Scampton Architects and Andrew Barnett, from Hopkins Architects in London. The former shepherd’s cottage used to have a red tin roof and was thought to be a landmark by local residents in the area. The entire restoration and development project included the renovation, adaptation and extension of the cottage. During this process, much of the original structure was repurposed and recyclable materials were used. In order to make the cottage more environmentally friendly, the architects took advantage of the solar gain and installed an air source heat pump as well as materials that have a high thermal mass during construction.
The cottage development retained as much of the original stone walls as possible and utilises a red corrugated colour for the roofing, which was made from sustainable GreenCoat® steel. SSAB, the company that manufactures GreenCoat® steel products are known around the world for producing one of the world’s best steels. GreenCoat® is very workable and pliable, meaning it can be folded to tight tolerances while keeping the coating intact. The installation of The Fernaig Cottage roof was smooth and will have a clean look without buckling or deformation for years to come.
The RIBA House of the Year is awarded to the best new house designed by an architect in the UK. The Awards will be broadcasted on the 7th November as a part of the Grand Designs; House of the Year, which is a special four-part UK Channel 4 TV series which will be presented by Kevin McCloud. The winner of the Awards will be announced later this year.
