RECLAIMED TERRITORY

A sense of connection to the land and its surroundings lies at the heart of this recently completed home on a South Lanarkshire farm

- Judy Diamond

DETAILS

What Ceangal House, a five-bed new-build

Where South Lanarkshire

Architect Loader Monteith

Main contractor Lawrie Group

Structural engineer Entuitive

At first glance, this recently completed house in the fields of South Lanarkshire seems understated to the point almost of invisibility. The rusty-red aluminum exterior could be just another barn among the dozens that dot the farmland around here. Inside, meanwhile, is pared back to the bone: no architraves, no skirtings, no window frames, no radiators, and scarcely even a light switch. The stair handrail is the plainest you'll ever see. But this is a house that rewards closer inspection. Its shape, its construction, and its materials all work together to produce something far more than the sum of its parts. It's no surprise at all, in fact, to discover that it's up for one of the most prestigious prizes in British architecture.

"I don't think it stands out too much," agrees Iain Monteith, one-half of Loader Monteith, the Glasgow practice behind the project. "You might wonder what it is as you drive past, if only because of the pitched roofs. It's one of those buildings that you might not remember or even notice unless you took the time to really study it. Then you might start appreciating the details and see that it's a wee bit different."

The studio he set up with Matt Loader in 2016 had only been established for a year when the clients, James and Lorna, came to them and said the words all architects want to hear: "We'd like you to design us something of architectural merit."