The Black House
Armadale, Isle of Skye; 2018
When Delia and Julian Thomas came to Dualchas, they knew they had found an extraordinary site, but they could not have imagined the house that would eventually emerge from it.
The design developed through a close collaboration, exploring how they wanted to live, how their extensive collection of books, art and objects could become part of the house, and how the architecture could bring everyday life into much closer contact with the sea.
Site and idea
The obvious position was the upper plateau, where the house could command the view. Instead, a two-storey volume is dropped into a natural cleavage in the rock close to the shore. This reduces its presence in the exposed Skye landscape while allowing the house to sit remarkably close to the water.
From the road, only the upper level is visible as a modest black gable. There is little indication of the scale of the house or what lies beyond.
Arrival and experience
A narrow entrance deliberately withholds the view, leading instead into a top-lit, double-height library and sculptural stair.
Only as the stair descends does a frameless wall of glass reveal the full expanse of the Sound of Sleat and the mountains of Knoydart beyond. The movement from enclosure to openness makes discovering the landscape central to the experience of the house.
It was this element of “joy and surprise” that helped the house win both Best New Building and the Overall Project Award at the Highlands and Islands Architecture Awards.
Materials and character
The dark timber exterior recedes against the rock and changing Highland weather, while white interiors and restrained detailing provide a quiet backdrop to the owners' books, art and furniture.
Reflected light from the sea constantly changes the interior, while the glazed living space brings the house into an unusually close relationship with the shore.
What the clients said
“When we approached Dualchas, we knew that we had found a great site, but we wanted a modern building to do it justice. What the design gave us is the real proximity to the sea with an astonishing wall of glass, but also a variety of spaces and lots of natural light, which makes the house a joy to live in.”
Cordelia and Julian Thomas, clients
Recognition
The Black House won Best New Building and the Overall Project Award at the Highlands and Islands Architecture Awards 2018, followed by an RIAS Award in 2019.
It was shortlisted for RIBA House of the Year 2019, featured on Grand Designs: House of the Year, and was the only private house shortlisted for the Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award 2019, alongside buildings including the V&A Dundee and The Macallan Distillery.
What the judges said
“There is a persuasive integrity to the rigorous use of pure rectangular forms, the strictly limited palette of colour and materials.”
RIAS Awards, 2019
RIBA described the combination of architecture, art and objects as creating a “calm, inviting and exceptional home.”
Published
Wallpaper*
The Telegraph.
Grand Designs: House of the Year
