Home inside ruin wins best building of the year

Cuddymoss is the winner of Scotland's building of the year

A North Ayrshire house that has been set within a ruined old farm dwelling has won Scotland's best building of the year.

Cuddymoss was designed by the Ann Nisbet studio, which said it wanted to preserve as much of the ruin in the finished building as possible.

Very few alterations have been made to the shell of the structure itself, so the cottage home could be removed and the ruin reused by future generations.

Judges from the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) said they were impressed by the project's respect for the ruin, from its history to its possible future.

The ruin was built over 200 years ago

Cuddymoss beat three other shortlisted buildings to win Rias's Doolan award, which has been given to Scotland's best building since 2002.

The designers said they wanted the additions to the agriculture building to blend in as much as possible with the 200-year-old structure.

They added silver-toned timber cladding to the original stone-built ruin in an effort to allow it to continue to blend into the surrounding countryside.

The owner said he felt more like a custodian of the building than its owner.

The designers said they worked with him to give the feeling that the Ayrshire landscape enters the building.

The owner is an avid birdwatcher and wildlife enthusiast and welcomed the connection to nature.

The designers left an old barn window ledge in the building untouched, to allow owls to come in and roost at night.

The cottage home is placed inside the ruined farm building

The building is in the North Ayrshire countryside

The judges praised the designer's respect for the building's character

The award, supported by the Scottish government, is named after its founder, architect Andrew Doolan who died in 2004.

Along with the award the architects received £10,000.

RIAS president Chris Stewart said: ."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.”