For many self-builders, the prospect of a steep sloping site surrounded by the inaccessible Scottish Highlands might feel overwhelming, but for Suzanne and Mark McPhillips, it was a chance to put their experience as architectural designers to good use.
TEXT CAROL BURNS IMAGES TONY HARDLEY PHOTOGRAPHY (SCOTPHOTO.COM)
When we think of forested areas of the Highlands of Scotland, we tend to think of the traditional simplicity of a two-roomed ‘Butt and Ben’ or the grandeur of a granite castle (turrets optional), but architectural design couple Suzanne and Mark McPhillips combined a design that encapsulates their tastes with a home that sits well within a challenging plot of land between woodland and coast.
Gaelic for ‘green headland’, the Scottish Highland hamlet of Arduaine is the setting for a modernist home where western architectural design meets eastern traditional style. The newly-built house sits perched on a hillside close to Oban in West Scotland. As you approach the house from the road below, there are tantalising glimpses of a half-hidden black box viewed through the foliage not unlike a bird hide. As you continue along the road, the building is gradually revealed. This, Mark says, is his favourite element of their new home which has been cut into a hill a short walk from the coastline.
“It remained a dream to build our own home and we came across the site in Arduaine by chance one day when driving past, giving us the opportunity to make the dream a reality,” says Suzanne. “We found a site with a sea view and they are as rare as hen’s teeth at a reasonable price. We’ve lived by the sea for about 20 years and it’s become an essential thing for us for our wellbeing.”
Sitting on a steep slope the land came with the challenge of designing a house they could afford. “We just thought: what can we do with the site?” Suzanne adds.
The couple trained as architects in the 1980s and met years later in Hong Kong. Having left mainstream architecture to set up their own design studio, it was only a matter of time before they would design and build their own home. The plot of land came with planning permission already in place for a traditional three bedroom house. But the couple had different ideas of what the house could look like.
“The design came from the topography of the site, because it’s such a steep, sloping site it’s quite restricting what we could do with it,” says Mark. “We’ve come up with various house designs over the years for various different sites and they’ve all been quite different depending on the site.”
Familiarity with the area meant they knew it was already home to several modern designed houses, so getting planning permission for their design was relatively simple. Despite this the couple were very aware of the surroundings and how a design might fit into it. “You have a very different set of priorities when you’re building in a very heavily natured area,” explains Mark. “The planners were supportive of designing something quite contemporary. A lot of planners wouldn’t like what we did but the people we dealt with in Oban were very supportive.”
The design makes maximum use of the width of the site, while also making the most of the views to the sea. The depth of the usable site was restricted by the desire to keep ground excavation to a minimum. The single storey height ensures that the building remains discreet within the landscape. The tight site, steep access drive and sloping land created challenges during construction, both for delivery of materials and limited use of plants. Consideration was given to the use of sustainable materials, predominantly timber, and renewable technology. A local contractor was used and contributed to the team effort to create a stunning home which is modest in scale and budget.
“Because the site was complicated, that added to the foundation cost,” continues Mark. “So although we got the site at a reasonable price, the foundations cost a lot of money.”
The ascent up the drive leads to a level parking area which is delineated by a long fin wall finished in split stone and a single storey rectangle, clad in black timber, is cantilevered above the stone wall. The finish is inspired by the Japanese charred timber technique of Shou Sugi Ban and reflects the history of charcoal-making in Argyll.
Steps of natural timber sleepers, concealed in a slot behind the stone wall, lead up in a series of terraces to the entrance level, where the rocky terrain forms a backdrop to the building. A small landscaped area of gravel and grasses surrounds the house which morphs into the wild landscape beyond.
“The cantilever was a big thing for me,” says Mark of his favourite feature. “I had this quite dramatic image of a wall and a black box cantilevered over the edge that recedes into the landscape. I like when I approach up the drive and see the compositional elements of the building cantilevered over a slate wall. Nature’s quite a messy concept, shapes and forms and colours and textures. We wanted it to sit well in the landscape and not really draw too much attention to itself.”
The house is entered from the side into a timber panelled hall, with the spine of a corridor running the full length of the building. A window at the far end provides a framed vista to the hillside beyond. The entrance area opens into a kitchen dining room, where the view to the sea is finally revealed through expansive sliding doors leading to a deck running the whole length of the house. The window wall continues through an opening into the sitting room where the focus is again on the view, taking in the islands of Jura, Shuna and Scarba.
“The whole front of the house opens up from each room onto a deck running the length so we can step outside from any of the rooms at the front,” explains Suzanne. The 135m2 house has been designed around the views. Rooms and furniture were decided based on what could be seen when sitting, standing, cooking – even lying in bed. “You’re thinking all the time about what you can see from where you’d be sitting, standing and lying down. In the bedrooms, the view from the bed was considered and designed around it”.
The main bedroom suite with dressing area and shower room opens out on to the front of the house and the incredible views from the deck outside. The back of the house is home to two bedrooms, a bathroom and a utility room.
The simplicity of the interiors and the colour palette allows their possessions to sing by having a very well made blank space for the couple to decorate with art and furniture. The interior is white and oak with a very high finish. The couple chose artworks and furniture to add personality to the inside, while recognising the vast majority of the colour, texture and tone comes from the world outside visible through the many triple-glazed windows that have been simply draped in white sheer fabric.
“We just like everything white and calm and classic,” says Suzanne. “The material we’ve focused on is oak finishes and a reduced palette. It allows you to express yourself on the art on the walls and the objects.”
The couple has a practical approach to avoid clutter in their simply designed home. “We have lots of storage and are disciplined to put things away,” Suzanne says. “The fittings are deliberately simple and low-tech, making for calm, serene and low maintenance spaces.”
The environmentally-friendly and modern technology that come with a sustainable house are all there. In this part of Scotland, where temperatures average 12 degrees and there are more than 200 days of rainfall in all seasons, homes need to be well-insulated. The house features an air source heat pump and the black exterior absorbs and retains heat. There’s an overhang to create shade – and their water supply is naturally filtered Highland spring.
“We’ve lived in big drafty houses for the last 30 years,” explains Mark. “And this is the first one which is not quite airtight, but it’s pretty tight and you do overheat; you end up having to open a window or doors at night.”
Things ran smoothly, but the Ukraine war created a shortage of concrete and block work and prices were rocketing just before they started the project in 2023. “We were terrified at one point as concrete went up 20% in two days,” says Mark. It meant working with the contractor to change to a flexible agreement in which the couple would pay for time and materials instead of a fixed price. “He was able to bring it in about £6,000 over budget on a £360,000 project,” says Mark.
“Timewise we did the whole thing in a year which was slightly longer than anticipated because the retaining wall was done over Christmas and New Year and the weather meant it took longer to dry and that put us back about a month.”
So has designing and building – and paying – for their own home changed how they approach the day job? “I think we’re more aware of certain design decisions and how they factor into the whole process,” says Mark. “And that economies have to be made along the way as well, because very few people have an unlimited budget.”
“We were very aware of the cost and every square metre we didn’t really need we were paying for,” says Suzanne. “We kept everything to a sensible size but factored in lots of storage so the rooms themselves can be modest. Though we have generous living spaces, we kept the bedrooms fairly minimal.”
For Suzanne and Mark, their new home is helping them live the life they have always wanted. And as architectural designers, they are keen to spread the word. “We ask people how they live and how they want to live,”
says Suzanne.
And that’s really the crux of the issue: whether the house is helping you to live how you want, or whether it’s hindering it.