Habitat Concept

Ive decide on a curved plan, which kinda matches the curves of the site with the 1st storey cantilevered over the water. The curve i think adds drama to the plan which ties in well with the concept, its also sensitive to the site i think. Anyway its a work in progress

Our new client is TOM CRUISE!!!

Act 1 Scene1

intro-monday morning in a small cold architect studio, one of the partners jimmy is sitting at his desk clasping a cup of coffee the other partner david arrives



DAVID: Morning jim

JIMMY: its freaking freezing

DAVID: yeh it is (pause) so i got a phone call off a client today for the loch tay site and turns out that its Tom Cruise, i thought it was a hoax at first but then he was telling me that he got my number off somebody when he was staying in Ireland with Michael jackson.

JIMMY: (laughs) ohh ye thats strange, cos i got a phonecall from the wicked witch of the frikkin west!

DAVID: Jim i am comletely serious, we have work to do he's flying today he wants us to take him up to the site tomorrow.

JIMMY: ha!



David slaps a letter from mr cruise on jimmys desk, jimmy is taken aback.



Jimmy: so ehhhh whats the story, whats the brief?

David: well you know the site, its up at loch tay

Jimmy: yep, bit small for a hollywood actor, but secluded i guess!

David: Yeh it is but he was telling me that him and his wife katie are finished with all that, theyve made their buck is what he said, anyway he wants to settle down quietly and have more time for his kid. He basically said he wants a modest enough place, something comfortable not too small or big.

Jimmy: so have you made a brief for it yet.

David: Yeah, yeah ive got it in my notebook here, basically weve got living, dining, kitchen, master bed, childs bed..with maybe a playroom, the kids kind of an introvert he mentioned. Then just a bathroom and i suggested an en-suite for the master bed.

Jimmy: Thats it?

David: Well yeah, thats the basics. now he also mentioned a few extra requirements, his wife is getting back into teaching, apparently shes already looked at working in the local primary school, so anyway she would like a reading room, office type area, somewhere quiet but light. Then he said that hes looking to take up music, he mentioned a piano but he said he doesnt want a seperate room for it he wants it to be in the living space, he wants music to be a family thing i guess. He also mentioned he likes to garden and his little girl loves animals and playing outdoors, in his words he wants to be self sufficient, so the external spaces are quite important. He also mentioned he'd like a spacious dining and living that they will be having guests often, and i suggested he add a guest bedroom as the area's kind of out of the way, and thats more or less it really.

Jimmy: huh, cool thats it! so what is he doing himself, just retiring, giving up acting??

David: Yeah he said he just wants to stay at home with the kid! weird huh?

Jimmy: yeh kinda, what about all that scientology stuff.

David (laughs) i dunno, i didnt really wanna ask, but he never asked us to design a little alter or anything.

Jimmy: (laughs)...lets go get some coffee.....





FIN!

up to the highlands...kinda

Welcome to Loch tay!

The road trip and visit to the crannog at loch tay was purdy interesting, its nice to see a bit of scotland while im here.

The actual site for our building was a little dissapointing to me to be honest, i thought it was going to be more isolated and surrounded by woodlands...i warmed to it quickly enough though and its actually quite a unique site. The overall landscape is spectacular, my most immediate thought about my habitat for this site was that it has to be respectful to the landscape, it should add too and not take away from the landscape.

So from that i came up with the idea that the habitat would be purely responsive to the site, this should keep the design focused on a harmonious solution. The responses would be to the natural landscape so a form that lends to the landscape, using indigenous materials for the building, a harmony between the building the site and the water etc.

The next response then is historical and cultural, so a response to the crannogs that would have dotted the loch and their construction methods, materials etc and also a response to the local community for examlpe all the houses on the lake shore have entrances that are open from the road so you can see into your neighbours house from the road. This suggests to me a tight and secure community.

The next response is a more personal one. Its my own senses and experiences from the site so obviously the visual impact of the landscape, the connection to the water was something i was drawn too, i also was really drawn to the woodlands beside the site and the small little beach. This felt like a naturally created space to me and something that should connect to the internal spaces of the habitat. I also thought of this poem when i was walking home one night. Its a W.B. Yeats poem called the lake isle of innisfree which is very fitting in itself. Its about the poet wanting to move out to the wilderness and build a small cabin for himself and be self sufficient and one with nature. The specific quote i thought of which encapsulated my experience of the place is this "Lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore" its a really well constructed line poetry wise but its also just really simple it kind of captured the serenity of the site to me which is something i want to enhance in my project and not disturb!