New House Design – Industrial meets rural

We have just submitted a full planning application for an exciting new home on a site just outside Charlestown near Dunfermline. A lot of research, consideration and care have gone into the design of this unique family home and for now all we can do is wait!

Situated on the shoreline of the Firth of Forth and formerly part of the Elgin Estate the site is bordered with woodland where the remains of the Iron Mill Foundry on the Lyne Burn stand. The derelict remains of the former Foundry cottage lie in the middle of the site and to the South East is a disused railway line. We have been commissioned by our clients to design a family home strongly influenced by the industrial past of this unusual site. This seemingly rural spot in Fife was once the centre of an industry leading the way in the Scottish industrial revolution. The Foundry dates back to 1795 and was run by the Elgin Estate for decades before being leased to Andrew M. Morton in the 1870’s whose family ran the business until the Foundry’s closure in 1937. The pig iron and lime used in the smelting process were mined directly from the surrounding Elgin Estate – Charlestown was best known for it’s production of lime. The Foundry produced anchors and goods for the railway, ships and pits which were shipped worldwide from Charlestown harbour.

The project brief was to design a family home with an Industrial meets Rural design concept. The proposed design is for a two storey, five bedroom, home with a floor area of 220m sq. The design and materials are strongly influenced by the site’s past from the saw tooth factory style roof profile to the weathered steel cladding. The house has a t- shaped floor plan and is orientated to maximise views across the Forth and natural daylight. At the heart of the house is a large brick double height public space with factory style windows and a pitched metal roof. A cylindrical sandstone stair tower is similar to the towers of the old Foundry. Weathered steel clad accommodation at the ground floor celebrates the history of iron at the site. While light timber clad bedroom accommodation at the first floor with a saw tooth profile, reflect the industrial style and will also assist in rainwater harvesting.

It was important to our clients to create a home that will perform as efficiently as possible in terms of energy and impact on the environment and so a combination of renewable technologies will be used including a bio mass boiler, rainwater harvesting system, solar panels, domestic electric batteries, high levels of insulation and sourcing of local materials and using reclaimed materials where ever possible.

We will keep you updated…