Smokehouses
Drawing upon the concept of a traditional smokehouse, architecture practice Izat Arundell share their plans to revisit the structures and build two new forms to offer space for survival and celebration.
words & photography – izat arundell
location – outer hebrides, scotland
The weathered remains of black houses can be seen throughout the Outer Hebrides. These communities, nestled in the sheltered knolls of peat and gneiss, evoke a vague sense of familiarity in us all. Although they’re mostly now seen as an entropic ring of stones, we are often drawn to think of how people lived within them – existing with so little in such a harsh place. Their way of life was detached from that of the mainland, with the Minch providing a formidable barrier which both isolated and preserved their culture. Despite the great distance and the eroding force of time, we feel a familiarity and empathy to these structures today. They have provided a home within which many stories have been told, laughs laughed, storms sheltered from, good times enjoyed and dark times endured.
Inside the houses the light was almost ecclesiastically dim, with an eternally burning fire of peat in the centre – providing a heat and cooking source as well as the smoke which gave these homes their name. This smoke was viewed as a valuable resource and the design of the house would encapsulate and absorb it into the fabric of the building. The tar covered thatch of the roof would go on to fertilise the inhabitant’s land, taking the materials full circle and creating secondary elements to the smokehouse’s important purpose. The timber frames supporting this thatch, of heather or marram, would be a collection of thin timbers found nearby. The islands had a scant source of native wood; often, tropical varieties which had traversed the Atlantic would be dragged from the sandy beaches and fashioned into a roof structure. So precious were these materials that it was commonplace for families and groups to take their roofs with them any time they moved. The hunkered down and rounded form of the black houses provided little for the strong gales to take grasp of and provided the shelter which both people and animals much needed.
The stoic mindset of the Hebridean’s allowed their culture to flourish in a way which perhaps is difficult for some to appreciate. Their songs told tragic tales of lost battles and times of hardship in the beautiful yet hard landscape. Through this struggle, strong and unbreakable family bonds were formed. This proud, rational and uncluttered way of life led to satisfaction and fulfilment, in spite of the ever challenging environment.
Nowadays, many of us seek this same sense of quiet and distance from the ever encroaching modern lifestyle. Physical experience is becoming ever more valuable and the protection and preservation of culture will hopefully strengthen our familiar bonds through time. It is with this in mind that we have decided to revisit the smokehouses and build two new structures – celebrating and encouraging a strong sense of familiarity with each other, our neighbours and our ancestors.
Upon reaching the threshold, the darkness and smell will encourage a sense of kin with previous occupants and previous generations which also graced the lands.
The two smokehouse pavilions are equal and opposite in composition and agenda, reflecting two sides of the narrative: Survival and Celebration. One will be stationary, in harmony with its context as a permanent source of shelter and respite. Its twin will act as a nomadic space of celebration and ritual; exploring various lands throughout Scotland and even further afield, returning when possible. An intimate space, the nomadic twin becomes a symbol of connection whilst being adaptive to many a culture and context. An evolution of the traditional black house roof, it can be picked up and relocated, travelling through lands and offering its space for contemplation and reflection. We hope to document, share and encourage each journey, whilst similarly wanting to eventually reunite the structures. We believe the visibility and proximity to the elements have a profound effect on our experiences; the smokehouses will aim to create a powerful yet familiar experience by dampening visual senses and heightening the experience
of scent. Whilst the visual senses are dampened, the sense of touch is heightened and ever more relied upon. This interaction will create a relationship between the inhabitants and the space itself, one guiding the other as the smoke leads the way.
As you reach the end of your journey to the smokehouses, through the unrelenting beauty of the Hebridean landscape, you will be invited to shelter within the space. Upon reaching the threshold, the darkness and smell will encourage a sense of kin with previous occupants and previous generations which also graced the lands. Remote and reflective, these twin smokehouses will sit delicately within the landscape; shaped and curated in such a way which creates a sense of comfort, offering you a moment to take in the beauty around you. They also offer you the chance to move with them – a movement which, when you pause to see it, can be viewed like smoke. It is a mesmerising motion of softness, where time is slowed as you feel a once in a blue moon experience hidden within the beauty of the mundane of our everyday.
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