Set in woodland that screens it from the road, this new-build house sits on a rural site, adjacent to fields on the edge of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland.
The clients, being keen gardeners, wanted the design to have a strong connection to the garden, with a sense of openness and good natural light. To ensure this, ZONE Architects designed an elongated orthogonal plan which references traditional longhouses, enabling the main living spaces and all four bedrooms to be south-facing, looking out over a landscaped garden through large sliding glazed openings. A garage block sits kinked on plan at one end.
The house’s elevation is composed of brick with timber elements, with a standing seam metal roof. The design controls solar gain by overhangs and a simple timber shading structure-cum-arbour along the south elevation, which buffers and diffuses light and glare and acts as an outdoor living space
The house is laid out around large open-plan living spaces, which offer flexibility in use, and is detailed with a restrained material palette.
The rectilinear floor plan of the main house is set around the open kitchen and dining areas, with large timber sliding doors opening up the space into the living room. Windows frame views to the garden and to trees and fields to the north. Ancillary snug, study and utility rooms are integrated to either end of the plan. On the first floor, all four bedrooms are orientated to have views out over the garden.
The house has a 5 kWp solar array and a full MVHR system and air-source heat pump. The overall energy rate is around 6 kWh/m2/year.
Architect’s view
Our clients are keen gardeners and golfers with a long connection to St Andrews. They had a plot adjacent to a family hotel on the edge of the town and asked us to create a low-energy house that made the most of an exceptional setting in a clearing among pine and beech trees.
We designed the house to Passivhaus standards, creating a compact two-storey form where all bedrooms and living spaces look over the south-facing garden. The house is positioned to the north edge of the site, immediately adjacent to protected trees, and aligned to due south, while an annexe/garage building aligns with the street, creating a sheltered back-door courtyard space. Large areas of glazing to the south are protected from solar gain with shading, while smaller windows to the north provide framed views over barley fields,
A variety of living spaces on the ground floor are connected but can be separated, allowing for expansion from two inhabitants to a party of twenty. The stairwell is left open and glazed to provide views to the north through the mature trees around the site perimeter.
We chose white brick and lime mortar as a foil to the leafy green setting, the scale of the bricks matching the scale of the foliage. The ridge of the roof is softened with a curve. Standing-seam metal roofing and alu-clad windows contribute to an overall desire for minimal maintenance.
The result is a well-rooted family home, connected to its natural surroundings. Our clients are reporting negative energy costs after nine months of occupation.
David Jamieson, director, ZONE Architects
Client’s view
From our very first meeting with ZONE Architects, it was clear that the chemistry was right. We knew a build of this scale required a deeply collaborative relationship, and their patience and creative synergy made them the perfect partners. They didn’t just listen to our ideas; they intuitively translated our lifestyle into architecture.
Our brief was a delicate balancing act. We wanted a modern, open-plan sanctuary that could effortlessly expand for extended family gatherings, yet shrink back into an intimate, warm retreat when it was just Mark and me. David and Hannah navigated this beautifully, capturing natural light and framing perspectives to create a home that flows seamlessly indoors and out.
Beyond their design skills, their expertise in steering us through a value engineering process was invaluable. They guided us through making the right decisions. The completed house gives us a profound sense of serenity every time we step through the door. David and [project architect] Hannah Pritchard have helped us to live the lifestyle we wanted but were not able to articulate ourselves.
Private client
Ground floor plan
Source: ZONE Architects
Project data
Location St Andrews, Scotland
Start on site April 2024
Completion date August 2025
Gross internal floor area 367m2
Form of contract SBCC Standard form of building contract
Construction cost £1.3 million
Construction cost per m2 £3,500
Architect ZONE Architects
Client Private
Structural engineer Elliott & Company
M&E consultant Natural Energy Company
Quantity surveyor CBA
Landscape consultant ZONE Architects
Principal designer ZONE Architects
Main contractor Pert Bruce
CAD software used AutoCAD
Environmental performance data
Airtightness at 50Pa 1.5 m3/h.m2
Total energy load 32.5 kWh/m2/yr
Overall area-weighted U-value 0.13 W/m2K
Predicted design life 60+ years
Annual CO2 emissions 3 kgCO2eq/m2 (total 1,152 kgCO2)
Energy Performance Certificate rating A(95)