TV appearance for house with its own drama
Modernist Kippen property part of contest
A striking Kippen house built to an ultra modernist design is part of Scotland’s Home of the Year competition 2022.
Ostro Passivhaus, already on the shortlist for a top architectural prize, was built by Martin Mccrae and Mhairi Grant who run architectural practice Paper Igloo.
It is one of 14 buildings selected by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) for their 2022 awards.
Work on the building started in 2014 during the couple’s spare time and it took six years to complete the largely self-build project.
The German term ‘passivhaus’ refers to the low-energy construction standard developed approximately 15 to 20 years ago.
The first passivhaus had been the Kranichstein Passivhaus built in Darmstadt in 1990.
It’s full of drama and great for entertaining Martin Mccrae
The kitchen and living spaces of the Kippen passivhaus have been pushed to the outer edges of the home and its cubic core houses a bathroom, three bedrooms and an office.
Sustainability and the environment were at the centre of the project and its windows capitalise on solar heat energy.
Martin said: “We’re delighted with the end result. It exceeds our expectations in terms of energy performance, comfort and user health.
“It is light, bright and beautiful to live in. We love the large windows which connect us visually to the garden and landscape beyond the house.”
The house’s low maintenance and design is a big plus for the couple.
Martin added: “We love modernist architecture and Scandinavian design as well as clean, simple forms and precise detailing.
“The materials have an honesty and provide texture and interest without adding lots of treatments – we used untreated timber cladding and have an exposed concrete slab, for example.”
Their favourite part of the house is the double-height living space which includes a feature special to both of them.
Martin said: “It is full of drama and great for entertaining.
“We love spending time here and seeing how the light changes through the day.
“We also love our built-in hidden gin cabinet which sits in the heart of the home – this was a lovely moment for us as we got to become the ‘client’ when we asked a furniture maker friend to make and install this for us.”
Taking part in Scotland’s Home of the Year 2022 gave Martin and Mhairi a lot of enjoyment.
Martin commented: “We thought it would be an interesting and fun experience - which it was!
“It was great to be part of the show and meet lots of interesting people, as well as to see their fascinating homes.”
The house will feature on Scotland’s Home of the Year 2022, BBC Scotland, this Monday, April 11, at 8.30pm.