House Ballyscullion is a beautiful testament to a client’s commitment and an architect’s skill. The project is a very high quality piece of domestic architecture produced for a low construction cost of £1,335 per M2.
It is located within the part-walled demesne of Ballyscullion Park, on the shores of Lough Beg in mid Ulster, established in the late 18th Century. The client for this project bought 100 acres of listed parkland and set about commissioning a house. The process has taken ten years to complete, five years of which was dedicated to the meticulous self-build.
The home is deferential to its natural surroundings and takes the form of the agricultural out-buildings. For a relatively large home it nestles effortlessly in the landscape. Hand-made bricks in hues of grey and a zinc roof help the dwelling harmonise with the dark trees beyond.
The absence of formal manicured gardens gives the sense of the house embracing the parkland, almost being enveloped by it. The relationship works both ways. Inside this light-filled house, at every turn, there is a sense of connection to the outdoors – a glimpse here, a framed view there, a waving branch overhead. The main reception room has a low long window, and it is not until you sit that you get the benefit of the fantastic view. The building is beautifully detailed, providing a robustness and permanence to this house.
The building’s impact on the environment is offset with the planting of 6000 indigenous trees to both restock the existing woodland and to establish a new woodland.
It is a fitting home for a custodian of the land.
