Brown & Brown Architects

Arbor House

Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson

ARBOR HOUSE

Brown & Brown Architects

DESIGN TEAM
Andrew Brown, Phil Booth

JOINERY
Angus+mack

GENERAL ENGINEERING
Design Engineering Workshop

MAIN CONTRACTOR
Coldwells Build

MANUFACTURERS
Geberit, Aquabella, Dk&i, Kast Concrete Basins, Russwood, Vado Taps, Woodpecker Flooring

PHOTOGRAPHS
jim Stephenson

AREA
274 M²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Aberdeen, United Kingdom

CATEGORY
Houses

Brown & Brown has completed a new low-energy home in a conservation area of Aberdeen, Scotland, turning an open plot into a private, leafy retreat that foregrounds craftsmanship and design.

Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson

Designed for a mature couple relocating from a rural village into suburban Aberdeen, The Arbor House is a contemporary, cantilevered home organized over two floors with slim Larch batten cladding punctuated by expansive glazing.

It is nestled in a gentle dip on the northern corner of the site to capture and harness southern sunlight, masking the homes’ volume below the busy sloping road it neighbors.

The Arbor House has been delivered by Brown & Brown in partnership with specialist contractor, Coldwells Build and craft workshop, Angus & Mack.

Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson

The Arbor House replaces a dilapidated stone steading that extended the length of the tree-lined plot.

Most of the cottage was carefully deconstructed and the masonry reused to craft a low, sweeping boundary wall at street level, while one wall of the stone cottage is left in situ to form a modern colonnade lit by original window openings.

Brown & Brown arranged these layers of salvaged masonry to balance the client’s desire for privacy and maintain the property’s original connection to the streetscape.

Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson

The cloistered entry offers a ‘mental airlock’, marking a clear separation between the busy road and enclosed gardens and home.

Inside, The Arbor House follows a logical floor plan designed to adapt for independent living later in life if required.

Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson

A custom-fumed oak pivot door leads into a wide hallway, where occupants are drawn through the house by uninterrupted views to the gardens past a utility room, bathroom, and office, before arriving in a double-height glazed atrium.

This central dining space is lit by an entire wall of glazing, bringing the surrounding trees into the home.

Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson

Despite the wall of nature overlooking the airy space, a sculptural Birch plywood spiral staircase draws focus in the atrium.

Designed by Brown & Brown in collaboration with local craftsman Angus & Mack, the stair was assembled over three weeks as timber treads were individually cut and hand layered to form a smooth, sinuous parabolic curve.

Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson

The remainder of the ground floor is dedicated to cooking and hosting, where a custom chef’s kitchen marks the fulcrum point of the house.

A wall of joinery clad in textural slate panels conceals a back-of-house kitchen with floor-to-ceiling storage.

Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson

The sleek DK&I kitchen island features a micro cement counter that cantilevers out from a blackened ceramic base, reaching toward a wall of floor-to-ceiling glazing.

Extending into the garden to flank the internal courtyard, the lounge is given over to end-to-end, floor-to-ceiling glazing to drink in the greenery outside.

Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson

A timber board-marked concrete fireplace anchors the lightweight space, balancing the airy interior with a sense of solidity.

The second floor of The Arbor House hosts the sleeping quarters. The main bedroom with a corner glazed bathroom sits at the eastern end of the plan, while a second and third bedroom and adjoining jack and jill bathroom designed for the couples’ grown-up children sit at the western side.

Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson

The volumes of the first floor, colonnade, and garage are broken up by a sedum roof, which blends the rooftops with the surrounding treelines and assists with drainage.

In line with the studio’s approach to sustainability, Brown & Brown designed The Arbor House to capitalize on natural materials, heating, and ventilation to reduce operational costs and carbon.

The large expanses of glazing draw in and store warm sunlight in the thermal mass, and open to passively cool the house in the summer months.

Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson

A ground source heat pump maintains a toasty indoor temperature in the Winter, supported by the heavily insulated structure which has been sealed for airtightness.

Air circulates with the help of a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system, resulting in a very low energy in-use rating overall.

Conscious of the scale of The Arbor House and careful to balance any heaviness, Brown & Brown has displayed a unique approach to crafting architecture that respects its place through the use of a restrained palette of salvaged, local, and natural materials.

Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson

Slender Larch battens have been used internally and externally to create a consistent language throughout and will silver over time, naturally blending with the stonework.

A hard-wearing yet smooth micro cement floor balances the textures of the plywood and slate joinery, offering a calm, clean interior, which the mature trees beyond the glazed elevations enhance as the seasons change.

The Arbor House is a confident and resolved home for discerning clients, an exemplar of the quality of home that a dedicated client, architect, and contractor partnership can achieve.

Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson
Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson


Arbor House
© Jim Stephenson


Arbor House
South elevation
Arbor House
South elevation - garage
Arbor House
West elevation
Arbor House
South elevation


Arbor House
Ground floor plan
Arbor House
First floor plan
Arbor House
Site plan

Brown & Brown Architects
T +44 1339 352800
Brown & Brown Architects
Station Square, Aboyne AB34 5HX, United Kingdom