Home inside a ruin in North Ayrshire wins Scottish building of the year

A home inside a ruin in North Ayrshire has been named Scotland’s building of the year.

Cuddymoss, in the North Ayrshire countryside, has won £10,000 as part of the Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award 2023, awarded by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland.

The house, which was conceived as a “building within a ruin” by its designer the Ann Nisbet Studio, is the first one-off housing project to claim the annual award.

Described as a mix of old and new, with little alteration made to the shell of the structure itself the silver-coloured wood exterior is designed to make Cuddymoss blend into it’s surrounding landscape.

The house is found in the North Ayrshire countryside.

The building blends into its landscape. David Barbour via Supplied

RIAS president Chris Stewart PRIAS described the building as an “outstanding winner”.

He said: “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.

“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.”

Cuddymoss beat three other buildings to the award, including Page\Park Architects’ Campus Central at the University of Stirling, Denizen Works’ Hundred Acre Wood in Argyll and Bute, and Flanagan Lawrence’s Laidlaw Music Centre at the University of St Andrews.

RIAS said all the buildings “showcase the exceptional talents of architects working in Scotland today”.