Portnalong

Isle of Skye

The scattered stone ruins of nearby clachans provide the starting point for two new homes in the crofting township of Portnalong on the Isle of Skye. The clients wanted contemporary accommodation that would feel embedded in the hillside rather than imposed upon it.

Our response
Living, sleeping and supporting spaces are divided between a series of smaller forms. Their arrangement follows the undulating topography, reduces the apparent scale of the development and creates sheltered outdoor spaces between the buildings.

The walls are designed in highly insulated clay block and clad in locally sourced stone. Turf roofs extend the character of the hillside across the architecture, helping the houses settle quietly into the Highland landscape while supporting an energy-efficient building envelope.

Outcome
The proposal reinterprets the informal pattern and material character of a Skye clachan as a pair of contemporary rural homes, closely shaped by their terrain, climate and setting.