In Wester Ross, in the northwest highlands of Scotland, Gillian Scampton from Pedder & Scampton Architects and Andrew Barnett from Hopkins Architects set out on an architectural journey. They purchased an old hillside stone cottage that was badly in need of repair. Their goal: Refurbish the cottage and convert it into a comfortable three-bedroom home using environmentally sound technologies and a modern design.
The resulting Fernaig Cottage has provided both with a pleasant living space that blends the past, present and future. It has´also provided them with a number of awards. The finished cottage was named a winner of the “Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) Awards 2017”, where it also collected a special category prize – Zero Waste Scotland’s Resource Efficiency Award. In addition, the cottage has also been named a finalist for the “RIBA House of the Year 2017” award, one of the UK’s most prestigious architectural achievements.
Originally, the Fernaig Cottage was a traditional Scottish Longhouse with a red tin roof that was considered a landmark by local residents in the area. The entire project comprised of the renovation, adaption, and extension of the cottage, where much of the original structure was repurposed and recyclable materials were used. The architects also took advantage of solar gain, an air source heat pump as well as materials with high thermal mass.
The red, corrugated steel roof of the Fernaig Cottage was another effort towards sustainable development. After assessing a number of different materials, the architects decided to use the color coated steel product GreenCoat® from SSAB. The choice came down to the material’s long-lasting aesthetics and low thermal expansion, which would easily withstand the harsh, moist climate of the Scottish Highlands.
GreenCoat is widely known among metal roofers for its easy hand forming, long color retention and resistance to UV radiation, corrosion as well as scratches. It also features a Bio-based Technology (BT) coating with a substantial portion of Swedish rapeseed oil instead of fossil based oils, which are traditionally used. The unique, patented BT solution by SSAB reduces the environmental footprint significantly.
