June 17 2022

LMA has been granted planning permission to build a one-of-a-kind family home at Seamill, North Ayrshire, adhering to the 'Countryhouse Objective' policy permitting homes of 'exceptional design'.

Glenfoot Roundhouse adopts a purposefully contrasting character to nearby homes to prevent the appearance of 'ribbon development'. Open plan living quarters are arranged on the ground floor with the upper floor reserved for a 'lantern' viewing room commanding 360-degree views across the sea and landscape.

Occupying the site of a Georgian home and walled garden (demolished in the 1960s) off the A78 between Seamill and Ardrossan the zero-energy off-grid home is inspired by traditional Roundhouse and Broch design.

Adopting a stepped circular form the planned home protrudes from the surviving garden wall, concealing a more practical rectilinear extension to the rear to house the bedrooms. Wall stonework would be reused and cut into panelled cladding elements along the ground floor, maintaining the existing datum, with larch timber cladding used for the upper level.

In a concept statement, LMA wrote: "The proposed layout and massing sits comfortably on site, with the visible circular portion protruding through the wall reading as ‘an object in the landscape’, while the rest of the house is concealed behind the wall.

"The location and architectural language of the proposed scheme are significantly different than any association with the adjacent plot, avoiding any risk of the dwelling reading as ‘ribbon development’."

An outbuilding dedicated to the production of self-grown food is also planned for one corner of the garden, adopting a similar appearance to the rear of the main home and standing below the line of the wall. 

1 Comment

#1 Posted by modernish on 20 Jun 2022 at 11:33 AM

It looks like an interesting project, the success, or otherwise will be in the detailing. However the number of bedrooms and the lack of usual large house accoutrements, such as dressing room, study/office or at least one more bathroom, make it look very much like a holiday let in waiting. Nothing wrong with that of course but i'm not sure that's what countryhouse objective is aimed at.

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