Mountain Sanctuary

Perched on a mountainside overlooking the Irish Sea is a beautiful piece of land that is hosting the emergence of a new family home. The building presentation is relatively simple, primarily due to a smorgasbord of planning restrictions and limitations.

However, using these imposed boundary conditions as a frame within which to play we successfully gained permission to build this home.

The design is based on a combination of elements anchored from a Golden Rectangle harmonic grid, following the sun path and harvesting the best of the views, natural topography and respect for neighbouring viewpoints. 

A basement was included, which fills the space once occupied with ancient stone, which has been broken into many smaller rocks and invited to bask in the light of day after eons in darkness.

Once the land was prepared the basement was constructed, with skill, focus and dedication. The timber framing began in earnest, in sunshine, rain and thunder storms!

 Using the timber floor deck as a large drawing board we used string in a timeless dance of emergent geometries, defining and delineating the wall positions and roof slope. A collection of curved wall plates were generated, happily stacked and awaiting the opportunity to top and tail the wall panels.

Within days the structural walls were in place, and three more days completed the primary roof deck, which was sealed and now awaits several inches of earth and planting; in a playful move towards gifting back the footprint of earth taken up by the building itself.

The windows arrived and were lovingly installed, and for the first time the eyes of the building were cleared and opened to provide the visual gateway that connect the outer environment with the inner space.   

A books worth of study, assessment, discussions and subsequent decisions later and the choice of materials, building finishes and services began to come together in a symphony of primary creativity; balancing optimal health of the future inhabitants with integrity of envelope and appropriate response to all of the elements of the environment.

The project is on-going and is viewed by any visitor as a great example of what is brought into being by a combination of vision, faith and determination.

The Mountain Sanctuary is coming into being.