Lorne House Design Statement
Hugh Logan Architects
Two Houses On Lorne House Harbourside Design Statement
Our Client set us quite a difficult task - adding to an established physical environment that people are used to is not easy. In essence, we have had to design buildings that will be significant in themselves, yet insignificant when viewed as part of the whole that is Castletown Harbourside.
The most prominent physical features of the site are the wall and the trees. Clearly it will be necessary to remove a number of trees to carry out the development. This we have sought to minimise with the help of a landscape consultant. The effect of the tree removal is shown in the perspective views and is perhaps less than might be imagined.
The full extent of the woodland is greater than might be thought and is best appreciated when viewed from the castle ramparts. This relative scale of the trees to the buildings both existing and proposed is shown on the street/wall elevation of the proposal.
The adjacent buildings, The Malt House and No. 5 Bridge Street, provided us with a number of clues or suggestions as to how the design of the buildings might be approached, in particular the relationship of the buildings to the wall. These included:
- buildings that are part of the wall
- buildings approached through gaps in the wall
- buildings partly hidden behind the wall, and
- buildings looking over the wall
The pedestrian access to The Malt House is particularly successful and this we have adopted – a gated access to private courtyards from which each house is entered. A larger gate provides shared vehicular access to garages at the entrance/ground/road level.
To preserve the remainder of the wall we decided to set the houses back and not make them part of the wall. The majority of the living accommodation is located at first floor level, in effect single storey buildings standing over subsidiary accommodation, yet at the natural ground level behind. This arrangement permits views over the wall to the harbour from principal rooms and access to private terraces and gardens at the rear.
For form and materials we looked again to The Malt House and No. 5 Bridge Street. A plan form of centrally located circulation areas serving two wings gave rise to two simple gabled roofs linked by a bridging element over the centrepiece. A further gable projects over the kitchen/breakfast area at the rear of each house.
For external materials we have selected undressed limestone for the harbour facing gables with painted and rendered walls elsewhere with reconstituted stone sills, lintels and arches. Painted hardwood is preferred for the external doors and windows with natural slate for the roofs. The front doors are protected by lead covered canopies supported by reconstituted stone columns.
Whilst change is always difficult to contemplate, particularly in a well established and preserved environment such as Castletown Harbour, change ought not to be resisted by a knee-jerk reaction. There are examples of new buildings around the harbour that fit in well, even seamlessly. At the time of their design and construction this might not have been seen to be the case. It is our belief that the buildings proposed have the timeless quality necessary to achieve this.
16 June 2005
Hugh Logan Architects Bridge Court 10 Bridge Street Castletown IM9 1AX
