Dulnain Bridge, Skye of Curr Road
Masterplan for 22 serviced plots, including four affordable houses for a site in an ancient woodland setting
- Size/Scale 22 plots, including four 3-bedroom affordable houses
- Location Dulnain Bridge, Strathspey
- Client Dulnain Bridge Community Development Trust/Reidhaven Trust
- Completion
Dulnain Bridge, Skye of Curr Road
Proposal for 22 plots, including four affordable houses: two semi-detached two storey 3-bedroom houses and two semi-detached one-and-a-half storey 3-bedroom houses.
The location within the landscape of Cairngorms National Park is highly sensitive and our approach was designed to maintain landscape value, the ecology of the site, and to use site features to add amenity value for future residents by retaining key areas of woodland.
The proposed layout of the houses follows a radial pattern generated by the curvature of the road with the main axes of the houses oriented at right angles to the road, providing a cohesive and regular development pattern. This pattern remains flexible and playful to avoid existing trees by allowing houses to be set further forward or further back on their plots, and also avoids a rigid suburban appearance. It also allows windows to be arranged to avoid overlooking and protect privacy.
The design avoids a more heavily engineered suburban solution with standard battered kerbs, pavements and roads surfaces, and creates a ‘softer’, more rural appearance to create a sense of community in this new development.
The houses are designed to include photovoltaic panels and air-source heat pumps. Some houses are designed as live-work units to encourage home working and provide opportunities for the creation of new rural businesses.