The Black Cottage

A low energy contemporary home set among a cluster of farm buildings overlooking Ardglass Marina on the north shore of County Down. The site is exposed to coastal weather from every direction and slopes gently south towards the marina, offering open views and consistent natural light.

2020 Architects designed the house to engage the landscape as much as the rural building tradition of Northern Ireland, while moving away from the stereotype contemporary Irish cottage of simple forms, white render and slate roof. The client wanted somewhere modern, bright and welcoming for entertaining, but compact and cosy at quieter times.

The form draws on a basic vernacular volume. The palette is deliberately limited, with materials that nod to the agricultural and industrial heritage of the area and keep both cost and complexity down. Dark external finishes help the building settle into the harbour landscape and reduce its visual impact from the many viewpoints along the marina.

Construction is a super insulated timber frame with triple glazed windows, a direct air intake stove and a mechanical heat recovery and ventilation system, all working together as a simple, effective low energy solution. Fibre cement corrugated cladding wraps the timber frame as a robust outer layer that also softens the acoustics of driving rain and wind, which would have been much louder against metal or a lighter rainscreen.

Architect: 2020 Architects. Technician: Gareth Boyd. Photography by 2020 Architects.