This paper examines architecture’s ability to adjust external and internal experiences of a landscape narrative transforming it from “ location to place” (Norberg-Schulz/1996). The recently-built Cove Park Artists’ Residency Centre in Argyll, by Cameron Webster is the vehicle for a critical reflection of its realised qualities and the soon-to-be-constructed Rossdhu Kennels remodelling in the Loch Lomond National Park, by Studio KAP is examined for its anticipated and intended qualities. Both case studies engage with a landscape of outstanding natural beauty in a valued cultural and geographic setting. Despite different briefs and scales, both are determined by domestic activities of living, cooking and dining. As the projects’ co-authors we examine how our perception of landscape is modified by contemporary architecture, harnessing its power through acts of protection, social interaction and control of view. Through the respective design processes, themes of newness, material culture, artistic production, phenomenology and innovation through tradition are explored. An artist’s recorded experience of CovePark adds further insight into the building in use. We consider the spatial configuration of each building’s openings and their physical impact on the landscape and the influence of traditional and contemporary precedents. Can newness act as a benevolent rather than a malevolent force on our ancient landscapes? Within the contemporary context of the climate emergency, what role can architecture and landscape play in creating an environmentally-enlightened future rather than a carefully-protected past?

• https://doi.org/10.34696/xc3n-d030