Mannal House is a new 4-bedroom family home on the Isle of Tiree on the west coast of Scotland that sits high above the sea looking east towards the mainland over Mull. Located on the work site of the main building in The town of Mannal, the previous owners sold the House and the site where Mannal House stands as two separate lots. The site is therefore peppered with various farm buildings.

These agricultural relics drove the formal organisation of the house and in particular the ruins of the gabled byre. The resultant house, split into two wings, nestles into the rebuilt stone walls which drive the main architectural expression of the building. Essentially a house of two gables, on approach, people enter through the stone gable into a courtyard garden from where people are presented with a framed view of Hynish and a row of lighthouse cottages designed by Alan Stevenson.

From this courtyard you move through the house to the climax of the procession where you are faced with the negative of the stone gable in three fixed panels of glass. To create this expression, Denizen Works copied the volume of the byre, slid it out beyond the old boundary wall and lifted it up to create the negative gable form bringing people close to the sea creating a feeling like being on the prow of a ferry. This main volume, almost religious in scale, contains a kitchen and utility space, dining table and the main sitting room. Overhead is the master suite with ensuite bathroom, dressing room and study.

Sitting at right angles to this main wing is the bedroom wing that contains three bedrooms and two bathrooms with views east drinking in the morning sun and views out to sea. The ceilings of these spaces are subtly curved creating a contrast between the low-pitched roof outside.