Cuddymoss, a one-off house in north Ayrshire designed by Ann Nisbet Studio, has won the RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award.
Cuddymoss, a ‘building within a ruin’ in north Ayrshire designed by Ann Nisbet Studio, has won the 2023 Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS). It is the first one-off house to win the coveted prize since its inception in 2002. The project beat stiff competition from Page\Park Architects (University of Stirling), Denizen Works (Hundred Acre Wood in Argyll and Bute), and Flanagan Lawrence (Laidlaw Music Centre at the University of St Andrews).
Cuddymoss makes new use of a ruined agricultural building in the remote Ayrshire landscape, seeking to retain as much of the dilapidated structure as possible, and acknowledging its connections with the landscape and those who worked the land. With the client viewing his role as custodian rather than owner, the design avoids domesticating or over-romanticising the building, and instead preserves its character through a simple and restrained design approach.
The new intervention sits back from the existing stone structure, creating deep reveals in the original openings, and making it difficult to discern on arrival that anything but the ruin is present. Designed in collaboration with the homeowner – a passionate birdwatcher and wildlife enthusiast – the practice’s approach welcomes a close connection with nature, with an old window ledge in the ruin being left untouched to invite owls in to roost at night.
Inside, windows have been carefully positioned in such a way that the Ayrshire landscape feels as if it is entering the building. A new extension sits alongside the ruin, matching its form and clad in silver-toned timber, which enables it to visually dissolve into the landscape
The Doolan Award judges praised the simplicity of the building concept and how this was realised with clarity, care and playfulness. They were also impressed by the project’s deep respect for the lifespan of the ruin, from its history to possible future uses (very few alterations have been made to the ruin itself, so the intervention can be removed and the ruin reused by future generations).
“Much of Scotland’s best architecture can be seen in one-off homes, and it was therefore long overdue for a newly-designed house to be named winner of the RIAS Doolan Award,” commented RIAS President Chris Stewart. “Cuddymoss is an outstanding winner, combining Ann Nisbet Studio’s clear concept and design rigour with the client’s deep sense of responsibility to the building and its surrounding landscape. The result is a beautiful building that works extremely well as a home, and is deeply respectful of the original building’s character, heritage and setting.”
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