FLIGHT OF FANCY

THIS QUIRKY BUILD IS AN EXPLORATION OF NEW CONSTRUCTION POSSIBILITIES, AS WELL AS A COMPACT YET COMFORTABLE HOME

- Catherine Coyle

Architecture is a serious business, but having an innate sense of fun certainly hasn’t held Roderick James back. He and his practice have built more than a thousand houses during his long career, and over the last seven years he has been experimenting with designs that incorporate more than just four walls. He has created affordable homes on the west coast of Scotland built by ex-offenders, for example, as well as aluminium pods and cabins for off-grid living.

His latest build, the impressive and unusual Pilot House in Argyll, combines many of the ideas he has been exploring in recent years. Its design was inspired by an earlier house he’d built for himself on the west coast, Eagle Rock, whose sprawling elliptical shape exemplifies his playful approach, and by his inventive 2017 AirShip project – a modular aluminium-and-glass living pod that resembles a spacecraft and which can be easily dismantled and moved to a new site. The Pilot House was conceived by James and his wife, Amanda Markham, and built by him and their three sons, Dan, Sam and Woody, together with friends and local trades. It’s a quirky design that’s pared-back on the one hand and a tricky feat of engineering on the other, and all while taking full advantage of some incredible Scottish scenery.

“Amanda and I wanted a funky, idiosyncratic building with a powerful identity,” explains the architect. “We wanted to create a structure that built on the aesthetic of the AirShip 002, but which took the glazing and insulation to a whole new level.”