Once a convent island on a lake, Ladies Island is an outcrop of gravel and sand in Monaincha bog. A single storey cottage and barn sit at right angles and the point where they almost meet is the location of the new extension.
The brief was to analyse the existing house and barn to provide a modern extension that would complement the existing buildings and provide additional and different spaces to the charming but dark rooms of the old house. The clients also wanted a view of the winter sunrise from their bed.
The thick walls of the cottage are reinterpreted as fin walls in the extension allowing light and views while retaining a sense of enclosure.