Blackhouse Essay

The ‘Blackhouse’ dwelling embodies the architectural response to the prevailing climatic influences of the area. Scotland’s generally cold climate is mitigated by North Atlantic Gulf Stream winds, and therefore characterised by numerous fluctuations during the course of the day. The East coast has a tendency to keep cool and dry, with temperatures seldom dropping below zero, whereas in the West coast, weather is much wetter. The North of Scotland is also characterise by a very low sun-path, with the sun barely setting in summer whilst barely rising in winter.
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Blackhouse constructions were largely influenced by the need to shelter their inhabitants from
such weather. In order to curtail the effect of fierce wind gusts the building was normally sited within a naturally sheltered slope/embankment, and was built with a sleek (aerodynamic) shape and orientation – avoiding prominent/sharp edges and projections. The building kept a low profile, sunk into the earth to minimise exposure to wind. Apart from clearly improving overall environmental comfort, this also ensured a prolonged building life span by establishing standards of structural integrity and durability.
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Vernacular architecture draws its style from readily available materials and craftsmanship. Blackhouse dwellings were built using locally sourced materials such as stone, turf, clay and thatch of reeds, oats barley and marram grass. Apart from their availability; ease of extraction, transport, machining, handling and placing of these materials also played major roles in influencing the overall development of this building type. The choice of material was also influenced in part by cultural agents such as the rules of the settlement/estate, and a person’s wealth. Good timber for example was valuable and often recycled or reused in new dwellings.
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The builders of these dwellings exemplified the principle of ‘form follows function’.
In the absence of electrical power and technologies, a great importance was given to environmental comfort. The interaction of different materials in different building elements was determined by the physical properties of these particular materials. With reference to the below sketch, one can see how the heavy external walls were constructed in an inner and outer layer of stone blocks; insulated with a core of peat and earth and waterproofed with clay. Turf was also used to absorb any excess retained moisture. The roof was based on a structural frame built using driftwood or whale bone, clad with timber coursing. Over the wood, layers of peat, grass and straw thatch were used for thermal insulation and waterproofing. The roofing materials were secured with a rope netting and weighted downwards using stone anchors.
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In the absence of electrical power, the builders of the Blackhouse also had to display practices of passive design:
- The fire was built in the centre of the household and never allowed to go out, constantly heating the heavy thermal mass of the earth core walls and ground. The absorbed heat would then be re-radiated at night.
- The peat and clay used in the walls rendered the building less prone to air infiltration – a major cause of thermal losses.
- Chimneys were omitted, allowing the smoke and soot to concentrate within the roofing thickness, adding to its insulating properties, before eventually seeping
out.
- Windows were built on the east / south sides of the building, away from cold prevailing winds, and facing the low sun to maximise solar gains.
- The building itself was sunk into the ground to heat up through the earth’s thermal mass

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Vernacular building layout was also largely influenced by cultural, communal or religious motivators. Blackhouses consisted of a living room, a bedroom, a barn and a barn for their animals. The house would be large enough for the family and the livestock, as the animals themselves benefited from the warmth of the building, and contributed to the internal environment themselves by emitting heat from their bodies. Conversely, the house would not exceed sizes and spans which would make it too structurally complex and expensive to build.
With the passage of time, the Blackhouse was roofed to a much higher standard, reducing the frequency of maintenance and repairs. This building typology is the result of hundreds years of experience, community cooperation and sound building practice. Incorporating principles of sustainability tuned to local conditions, materials, and skills available, it can be considered as a very good case study in green or passive architecture.