Signal Station House by Icosis Architects in Scotland

Signal Station House by Icosis Architects in Scotland

Signal Station House by Icosis Architects - Bedroom Design

Signal Station House by Icosis Architects - Dining and Kitchen Design

Signal Station House by Icosis Architects - Bathroom Design

Signal Station House by Icosis Architects - Exterior

The design of the new building was conceived as a simple box sitting adjacent to the original octagonal tower, but isolated to maintain a respectful separation and emphasise the distinct form of the original structure. Its orientation and location aims to respond to the exposed coastal location of the site, the movement of the sun, and views, while also maximising the remaining garden area. The new building is physically connected to the tower using an existing single-storey outbuilding at the base of the tower as a “plug” connection to link the old & new buildings together. To the north, the building sits up against the boundary wall, with windows framing individual views out over the river. The largely solid east & west walls sandwich an all-glass south elevation.

A timber light-box along the spine of the new structure allows light to penetrate the heart of the building and emphasises the circulation space connecting the main rooms. The internal surfaces are articulated with overlapping wall planes and folding forms, which move between, and integrate the various spaces – for example, a dark grey concrete kitchen worktop wraps around the kitchen, drops vertically and becomes a step which is the threshold to the dining area. It folds upwards again to become a bench seat, disappears into the floor, and re-emerges in the garden to form an outside bench.

Architect : Icosis Architects
Location : Forth Rail Bridge, North Queensferry, Scotland
Project Year : 2005