Glasan

Glasan is located on the shores of Achnacloich bay on the south west of the Sleat peninsula of the Isle of Skye. Achnacloich, which means “the field of stones” is a place where you will see otters, seals and eagles – and where red deer come down from the hills to rut every autumn. But it is also a working crofting community; Gaelic is still spoken and stubborn cattle and flighty sheep are the most common hazard on the single track road.

Glasan is Gaelic for “grey object”. The choice of the name has two reasons – it is easy to pronounce, and it describes well the intended simplicity of the aluminium-clad cabin. But by contrast the interiors are deliberately warm – clad in an oil birch-faced ply carefully set out on a grid to line through with the 1200mm wide floor tiles.

The building is only 45m2 internally, and has no separate bedroom. Instead it has a recessed bed space in the main living area inspired by the traditional “box-bed” of the old blackhouse once common to the islands. The idea was to make sure that Glasan doesn’t feel like a normal holiday cabin – but gives visitors an experience which has an element of quirkiness, where the landscape of Skye can be enjoyed within a unique piece of architecture. It invites people to share in this special place, to experience the landscape, the wildlife, the culture and to meet the people who live and work on this beautiful island.

Behind the cladding is a simple timber frame construction built off a raised steel platform – allowing the building to sit lightly in the landscape. The walls are packed with sheep’s wool insulation, most of the windows are small. But a large window to the gable opens up fully, sliding into a pocket behind the cladding. Because the building sits off the ground, the sill can be used as a seat to sit and enjoy the sea air and the views of the expansive beach, with the summer sun setting behind the Cuillin ridge- on the days the clouds lift.