1st year design

1st year design, EDINBURGH COLLEGE OF ART

The final project of my 1st Year Design was a writers retreat on Cramond Island, in the Firth of Forth. I was very interested in Vernacular Architecture; applying it to the island setting to create a building which could withstand the turbulent weather. To ground the building into the geography of the island the primary material is the Basalt rock, the foundation of the island. Looking as if growing from the rock itself, the building immediately connects with the environment. Heavy walls book-end the internal spaces, with the writers desk facing inland. The kitchen is utilitarian and can be concealed to alter the experience of the living space. The door is secured during the writers absence with heavy metal shutters, which fold down to create a terrace, and up to create a sun and weather shield for the glass doorway.