With the homeowner looking to relocate and move away from the busyness of urban city life, Black Swan House has been designed in pursuit of silence – a place where she can embrace nature and enjoy the peace of this beautiful countryside setting.

Both the home’s design and name take inspiration from one of the practice’s first visits to this unique site, where they were struck by the gracefulness of the swans landing on the reservoir and gliding effortlessly through the water.

Sharing this same sense of precision and elegance, this reminded the client of joyful childhood memories of folding traditional origami cranes with her grandmother, creating a familiar thread pulled through time.

Together, these observations and connections prompted the practice to explore how the swans’ grace could be captured by the home’s built form – to allow this to appear as though it too, had also just ‘landed’ on the water’s edge. The practice used AI as an exploratory tool during the early design stages, to understand the swan’s anatomy and how it is able to land on and move through water.

These learnings were translated into a series of abstract, symmetrical visual studies, which became a key touchstone throughout the design process - helping to shape both the emotional intent and architectural language of the house.

This is expressed in the practice’s approach to the home’s form and structure, which sits parallel to the water’s edge and cantilevers lightly over the embankment, seemingly hovering above the water.

Echoing the harmonious character of the site, where the reservoir - as a manmade addition - has become seamlessly embedded into the wild, natural landscape, the linear footprint of this one-storey home is also positioned to mirror a small, isolated island at the centre of the water and root the home in the setting.

Two cantilevered vertical timber screens stretch outwards towards the reservoir. Like the wings seen in origami cranes or the site’s swans, these moveable screens shield the otherwise glazed facades of the home, to provide privacy and seclusion from a nearby highway and footpath.

Behind the screens, the home slowly reveals itself, as the interior opens out into a floating open plan concept. Seamless, floor to ceiling glazing is introduced in the home’s most used spaces, including the kitchen, living room and dining room.

The living room is arranged around a hearth, creating a cosy interior from which to enjoy the home’s breathtaking views over the undisturbed reservoir, no matter the unpredictable Scottish climate. In the warmer months, the same glazed facades provide direct access to a covered wrap-around terrace, enabling the client to immerse herself into the landscape.

To complement this generous openness, Hyde + Hyde thoughtfully arranged the home’s private uses into a series of more enclosed pockets that the homeowner can retreat into.

Set either side of the entrance, these overlook the woodland and embankment at the front of the house for a greater sense of seclusion. One pocket is home to the master bedroom suite, complete with a full bathroom and dressing room that lead through to a sauna and outdoor shower.

Here, the timber screens come into their own - creating a transient space between the inside and outside, that affords the opportunity to enjoy nature, in complete privacy. To the other side of the house, the second pocket accommodates the guest suite, which includes a bedroom, vanity and bathroom. A window seat and large picture-frame glazing offer views back towards the trees.

To enable Black Swan House to operate fully off-grid, sustainability has been carefully, and seamlessly integrated into every aspect of the design. The highly insulated building fabric is paired with a flat roof that utilises its surface area to harness solar energy through photovoltaic panels while skylights sit alongside the wider glazed facades to maximise daylight in all seasons.

Renewable energy strategies will now be further developed to determine the most appropriate solutions for the site. This includes exploring ground source and water source heat exchange systems, as well as possible hydro-based energy opportunities associated with the adjacent reservoir or nearby watercourses.

Project information

• Address: Beith
• Local Authority: North Ayrshire Council
• Architect: Hyde + Hyde Architects
• Principal Designer: Hyde + Hyde Architects
• Structural Engineer: KPA
• Reservoir Engineer: Fairhurst
• Planning consultant: Huw Mellor
• Quantity surveyor: Martin Jury QS
• Funding: Private
• Total GIA: 143m2
• Expected construction cost: £1m