Building with Landscape

Historically, rural buildings have been primarily concerned with shelter and have been nestled in hollows of protection, away from the prevailing wind. Much of Wales is open countryside with rolling hills and mountains, a context that brings particular difficulties when considering development proposals and seeking an appropriate architectural response. This chapter presents a case study on Loyn & Co. which is a small practice of six. It works primilarily on residential and commercial projects. In many ways, this was as much a landscape scheme as a piece of architecture, with the building needing to sit in the site rather than on the site. Considerable time was spent working with the landscape architects, researching the history and topography of the site through painting and sketches, and investigating the changing field patterns and the species of plants and grasses.