Searching for more ways to engage in the act of building, specifically site-sourced stone construction, we began restoring historic farm structures in remote locations for the Mountain Bothy Association. These acts of physical engagement with the land have allowed us to broaden our understanding of materials, their origins and role in larger ecosystems, as architects. The geological formations, alluvial deposits, rivers, plant life, and fauna coexist in these places as entangled relationships. Working directly with the land has opened up many doors of dialogue, allowing us to connect with the places and communities who continue to foster site specific construction practices.

Bothies are remote shelters that are available for hikers to use on long trecks. These shelters, scattered across many regions of Wales and Scotland, provide a lens into the itinerant farmers who once lived in these remote landscapes. Built primarily prior to the 18th century, these structures are built from locally available materials such as exposed bedrock or loose stones, capped off with a timber structure for the roof. Many shepherds’ shelter were abandoned as the Industrial Revolution led to migration toward urban centres. Farmers left for work in factories and mills, resulting in the disuse and decay of these shelters. While some have been restored by the Mountain Bothy Association, as well as other organizations, many still exist as ruins in their original dry stone construction, or with clay based mortars. These structures typically consisted of one to two rooms: a primary living space for the shepherd and an enclosed area or boundary wall for the sheep or cattle. Many feature open hearths, and some included attic spaces accessed via staircases. Shelters were often built near water sources or in locations that offered protection from the elements, demonstrating careful site selection. By studying the remains of these shelters and contributing to the reconstruction of these, we aim to broaden our understanding of using irregular, unprocessed materials, such as stone rubble, for construction.

At a time when architecture is increasingly entangled in the globalised construction industry, and the relentless pursuit of efficiency, speed and mass-production, this research acts as a counterpoint and an amelioration to the prevailing paradigm. There is a growing urgency to rethink the role of contemporary architecture - not only as a construction for shelter, but also as a set of values which demonstrate our relationship to other living beings, ecologies and finite resources. Working on these remote structures has served as an ode to a more conscientious and ecologically attuned architectural ethos, favouring the harvesting of inert and site-specific materials to construct shelter.