All language subtitles for Casonas 2

[birds chirping]

[water gushing]

[Narrator] Imagine,
living in a home

that sits secluded in a forest.

[gentle music]

On a 100 kilometer beach.

[gentle music]

Or on top of a mountain.

[gentle music]

[helicopter blades whirring]

[gentle music]

In this series, we
travel the globe

to explore some of the,
"World's Most Secret Homes."

[gentle music]

Hidden away in truly
inspiring locations.

From jungle hideaways and
secluded mountain cabins.

This is what it's all about.

I love it.

[Narrator] To
coastal sanctuaries.

[gentle upbeat music]

And desert retreats.

It does something
to your soul.

[laughing]

[Narrator] We explore how

these spectacular
homes were built.

It was amazing because
it was lost for 70 years.

[Narrator] And meet the
people who live in them.

[gentle upbeat music]

People come in
and say, "Oh wow."

[Lily laughing]

No, one's expecting it.

[Narrator] As we discover the,

"World's Most Secret Homes."

[gentle music]

The city of Monchengladbach
is in Germany,

but it's so far west,

it almost has one foot
in the Netherlands.

Today the city is known
for its dynamic theater

and performing art scene.

But area is also
steeped in history,

Monchengladbach was
on the front line

during the second world war.

Concrete bunkers were
built to provide protection

for civilians under
threat from falling bombs.

Here in the suburbs and
hidden amongst the trees

is a particularly
impressive structure.

A bunker built in 1945.

Unfinished at the
end of the war,

it laid abandoned and forgotten
for more than 70 years.

[gentle music]

Until someone did
something amazing.

[gentle music]

This sleeping giant was
brought back to life

as a fantastic and
very secret home.

[gentle music]

This striking home was created

by artist and sculptor
Bernhard Petz,

who was originally looking
for a play is to work.

Eight years ago, I don't
want to buy a simple studio.

I want to have a
little bit special.

And a friend of me, he
showed me the bunker.

And I say, okay,
this is amazing.

[Narrator] A new
house has been built

on top of the roof of
the abandoned bunker.

The living area
is one large room

that covers 158 square meters.

This space contains
a section for living,

an area for dining and
a place for sleeping.

The bathroom and kitchen
are also on this floor.

Underneath the house, there
is space inside the old bunker

that has been converted
into a workroom,

a music room and guest
bedroom with bathroom.

[gentle music]

[birds chirping]

When Bernhard first
found the site,

it was dominated by
a concrete building

with walls, two meters thick.

[birds chirping]

It was like a castle.

Everything was green and
everywhere was plants.

It was amazing because
it was lost for 70 years.

When I found the bunker,

I go inside and
it was very dark.

You cannot see the
hand before your face.

No roof on the bunker and
the rain is go in the bunker.

I know from the first time,
it will be a very big project.

[gentle upbeat music]

Bernhard didn't
want to shy away

from the building's history.

His ambition was to bring
it back into the lives

of the people of the city.

This time, it's very
important to have a bunker

to show that war was reality.

When people walked pass, they
look, but they don't see.

You can see it here
and you can touch it

and you can go
inside and see it.

First when they go
inside, it's the doors,

the doors are steel doors
and they are old, very old,

and they are heavy and
when you close, bwa.

[door slamming]

[Narrator] Apart
from adding a roof

to make the structure water
tight and clearing the trees,

Bernhard has kept the
ground floor of the bunker

very much as it was.

This is the inside
of the bunker.

Here you see, this is
the bunker I found.

I don't clean, no
colors and nothing.

Only a little bit art
and only the atmosphere.

The bunker will be the bunker.

For me, it's important
to show the history.

We must learn about the history

and not to repeat the history.

[Narrator] As an artist,
Bernhard has created

an installation in one
of the subterranean rooms

to remind people what this
building was all about.

Here you can see a
special room of the bunker

because the chair and the
helmet, I found it in this room.

I think it's very important
to respect this room

because in this room, you can
feel the time, the history.

The shadow is very important
for this installation

because the shadow is the
dark sinking from the war.

First, you only see the shadow.

Only when you go in in the room,

then you can see the soldier.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] Bernhard
was not only eager

to bring this
building back to life,

but he also wanted
a place to live.

[gentle music]

First, I only want a studio,

but the city was, "No, no,
you can build a house."

Okay, this is a good idea.

And then I know in 10 minutes
I see the house in my head,

what I want to build here.

It was nothing inside.

It was no electricity inside.

It was no water inside.

And it was a lot of work.

[Narrator] Over
seven years he created

this resting crows nest of a
home on top of the old bunker.

The house is hidden
from the streets below.

The project embraces
the buildings past

and moves it into
the 21st century.

Yeah.

And here you can see the
house upstairs of the bunker.

[gentle music]

[birds chirping]

You can only see the
house when you stand here.

It's a secret hidden here.

It's like a paradise
because you have the water,

you have a small waterfall,

you have the plants
and you have the house.

I don't think it's anything
else like this in the world.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] The
garden's steel staircase

leads up into the vast open
expanse of the living room.

[gentle music]

It's only one
big living space.

My sofa, my desk,
where I eat, my bed

and my sculptures also.

This was the first idea,

only build one room because
you need only one room.

You can live in a room,
you can sleep a room,

you can cook in a room.

I only need one
good room to live.

This was the idea.

The architect, later my
architect, he said, "No,

"you must have also a bathroom

"and also a toilet
and also the kitchen."

But the room is the center
of this new building.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] It took
seven years for Bernhard

to build the house
by hand, by himself.

The floorboards, joists,

in fact, all the wood
on site is large.

The timber was
sustainably sourced

from a forest owned by his
sister, and then cut to size.

[gentle upbeat music]

The walls of the house were
then constructed in sections.

Bernhard hauled all
the pieces into place.

Using a crane he
bought for the job,

operating it himself.

With the walls up,
he used the crane

to lay the colossal jigsaw
of a roof, panel by panel.

Bernhard also designed,
made and installed

the glass walls on his house.

Each panel weighs 200 kilos.

[gentle upbeat music]

Bernhard has created
a sky-high home

on top of this
extraordinary building.

But the bunker beneath his
feet conceals further secrets.

Because I live in every
place on the bunker,

I have 32 rooms.

[Narrator] He's converted
the rest of the building

into a gallery and
huge art installation.

In the autumn, I
will open the bunker

and show my art and
the art for my wife.

[gentle music]

The people they coming here
and they go in in this room

and I put the light on
and they are surprised.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] And this house
has one more secret to tell.

Also because I'm a musician,

we make concerts
and a little opera.

[Narrator] Bernhard has built
his own 80 seat concert hall

in another of the Bunker's
70 year old rooms.

[Bernhard] This room
is the concert hall

and the concrete walls give
a lovely echo, like a church.

[gentle upbeat music]

[Narrator] That's not the
only surprise in this room.

All natural light
in the concert hall

comes from the base of
Bernhard's fish pond above.

[birds chirping]

And when the sun
shining in the water,

you can see the light
is like bouncing.

[gentle upbeat music]

[birds chirping]

[gentle music]

I think it's amazing to have
in a bunker, a concert hall.

I didn't know, in the
rest of the world,

you can go in a bunker
and listen a concert.

[Narrator] It takes a
certain type of person

to create an unusual
home like this.

For me, it's so normal, when
I go inside in this house.

Most of the people,
they copy other things.

I go my way and I find
things in the world,

what the people don't want.

When I'm young, I play the tuba.

Tuba, nobody want to play tuba.

Everything what I do
in my life, it's art.

And this, the bunker also.

This is my art to make the
bunker its negative place,

to make it in a positive place.

The people they are coming,
they feel it's positive,

it's fantastic.

[Narrator] Turning a building
that had a dark history

into something this joyous
is the perfect outcome,

for this once neglected bunker.

And it's easy to see why
Bernhard loves it so much

and why he's breathed
new life into it

for the city he calls home.

[gentle music]

1,132 kilometers South,

lies the Italian
island of Sardinia.

With its dramatic
volcanic scenery

and 2,000 kilometers
of coastline,

Sardinia is renowned for
its relaxed pace of life.

[birds chirping]

[gentle music]

It's where white sand
beaches and turquoise water

draw holiday makers
from far and wide.

[gentle music]

[waves crashing]

[gentle music]

On the Northern
part of the island,

just 32 kilometers north
of the city of Olbia

lies Porto Pozzo,
a small village

situated at the
head of an estuary.

[gentle music]

On this secluded corner,
perched on top of a cliff,

lies a home hidden
by its surroundings.

[gentle music]

Flanked by clear blue seas
and nestled in lush greenery

is a secret waterfront villa.

[gentle upbeat music]

This exceptional home belongs
to Christian and Sabine

and serves as a Haven
away from their busy lives

in their native Belgium.

[gentle upbeat music]

We were looking
for a holiday home

to spend time with the children.

We were looking for a location
that was on the water.

We traveled a lot to
Italy and it was always,

"Let's go back to Italy,
let's go back to Italy."

And then we went
once to Sardinia

and we fell in love with
the nature, the sea.

[Christian] We visited
about 20 different plots.

This was the last
one we visited.

And when we arrived here
it was an abandoned house.

I think it was about 15
years, that it wasn't used.

The garden was completely wild,

but we fell in love
with it immediately.

It was a love at first sight.

[gentle music]

Christian and
Sabine had clear ideas

about the style
of this new home.

[Christian] We always
wanted to make a house

with a more modern architecture

and to have all the
spaces like we want them.

[Narrator] The frame
of this house is timber,

which is clad with granite
and surrounded by glass.

It covers 433 square
meters across two levels

and steps to follow the
contours of the land.

On the upper level

there are four bedrooms
and three bathrooms.

Downstairs is a further
bedroom with en suite.

There's an open plan lounge,
kitchen diner and utility room.

A barbecue area and
sunken seating pit

provides space for
alfresco entertaining.

The contemporary feel flows
from the front door in.

When they come
into a front door,

they come into the living
room and then see the sea.

They're really
overwhelmed by the view.

They are saying, "Wow."

[gentle upbeat music]

[birds chirping]

[Christian] The house is
oriented at the back of the plot

because we wanted the
main part of the garden

to be in the sun.

The terraces needed
to be in the shadow.

So not too exposed because
in summer it can be very hot.

[Narrator] The
windows are a gateway

to the breathtaking views.

Their slick design conceals
one of the home's many secrets.

95% Of the house opens up,

so you can pull back
all the windows.

So you have really open space.

[gentle music]

When people come in, we
walk right into the garden,

almost into the sea because we
bring outside into our home.

We wanted to have an
inside, outside connection.

And that's why we chose
the same woods inside

as we did outside.

The walls continue from
the outside, go inside,

and go through the house,
all the way around.

[Narrator] The timber lined
walls conceal another secret.

This door is the entrance
to one of our bedrooms.

A bedroom for two persons.

Also there's a bathroom
connected to this room.

We wanted a kid's room
where it's fun to stay.

We designed five beds, so
five kids can sleep here.

And they have to
climb into their beds,

so they love it.

[gentle upbeat music]

This is the master bedroom.

We picked this room because
we wanted the nicest view.

And then we have a
nice terrace as well.

[gentle upbeat music]

Then this looks like
a builtin wardrobe,

but actually you have
the entrance door

to our bathroom as well.

[gentle upbeat music]

[Christian] And we even put
big baths inside the floor.

And when you are in the bath,

you can just see over
the window into the sea.

[waves crashing]

[Narrator] Designing a house
from scratch is exciting.

But before they
could get started,

Christian and Sabine were up
against strict local laws,

regarding what they
could and couldn't build.

To build at the
waterfront site in Sardinia

is very difficult

because they try to
protect their nature

and their coastal area a lot.

[Narrator] The only
way to build here

is to demolish an existing house

and rebuild in a
more ecological way.

Something that
Christian and Sabine

achieved with their garden roof.

One part of the roof in grass

was because of the
planning permission

and the ecological aspect.

The other fact is that it
blends in perfectly in nature.

When you see it from top,

you can see that the house
it's completely green.

When we are up here, we
have 360 view actually.

It's just the two of us.

[gentle music]

[waves crashing]

[gentle upbeat music]

[Narrator] Overseeing the
project was local architect,

Pietro Giordo.

For me was a big challenge

because I build
houses from 35 years,

but Mediterranean style
and totally different.

Before we started the
project, we made a mood board.

We put in all type of pictures
of different type of houses

and things that we liked.

Pietro translated
it into a design

that he thought would
meet our wishes.

[birds chirping]

[Narrator] Pietro's master
plan was at one with nature.

The house, don't try
to dominate the nature.

But speaks with harmony
with the nature.

We have three
materials, the glass,

Sardinia granite is the
same granite of the rocks.

And we have wood.

[Narrator] Pietro's
local knowledge

of the island's strong winds,
helped with the design.

This is one of our
favorite parts of the house.

We have got the barbecue area
with a large dining table

because of the winds
that are in Sardinia,

we needed something to cut the
winds off if it's too hard.

And so we made a glass panels

that are able to shut down
the terrace completely.

[gentle upbeat music]

[Narrator] A series
of glass panels

help to bring the inside
dining area outside.

[gentle upbeat music]

The panels run on small
tracks at the top and bottom.

And when open they
disappear neatly

behind the masonry walls.

The panels are
independent of each other.

They can close one section
at a time to either totally

or partially shield the space

from the strong Sardinian winds.

Pietro also created
another outdoor area,

built into a rock face where
the family could relax.

[Sabine] I love this area
because you can sit here

with friends, with
family, protected from sun and from wind.

And then sit all day
long, talking here

because it's the most
cozy corner of the house.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] Journeying
deeper into the gardens,

reveals a magnificent
infinity pool

with far-reaching views
across the Mediterranean Sea.

[Sabine] For our holiday
house, our family house,

we really wanted to
have a pool as well.

The kids love swimming.

We wanted to have the pool,
not too close from the home,

but actually just in the
garden between the trees.

So it's a little bit hidden.

[Christian] The
swimming pool is more nice

to swim in the sun.

So we place it on a place where
we know we have a full sun,

all day long, 360 degrees.

And actually when you're
swimming in the pool,

it's like you're
swimming in the sea.

[Narrator] But that's
not the only place to swim,

as this home holds
one last surprise.

[gentle music]

Its own secluded beach.

[Christian] Having access
to our own little beach,

that was an extra element for us

to fall in love with the land.

[gentle music]

You're always zen when
you are at this place.

You can sit outside,
spending hours talking,

enjoying the views.

It's a unique place to be here.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] It's easy
to see why the family

fell for this piece of paradise.

It's a perfect home from home.

Melding modernity with nature.

[gentle music]

[waves crashing]

[gentle upbeat music]

9,667 kilometers West,

in the shadow of the
Sierra Nevada mountains

is the American city of Reno.

[gentle upbeat music]

Known as the biggest,
little city in the world.

It's a bustling place
with a character as bright

and unforgiving as the
sun that beats down on it

for over 300 days a year.

[gentle music]

Just a few minutes
from the city center,

built near the edge
of this hilltop

is this eye-catching house

that's packed full
of secret features.

[gentle upbeat music]

The structure has been designed
with sharp edges and peaks

to blend in with the
mountains around it.

It looks different from
every angle, hence its name,

The Shape Shifter House.

The owners of this unusual
house came to the site

with completely open minds.

I didn't really have any idea

about what we wanted to build

other than I wanted it to be
contemporary and a little edgy,

not a conventional house.

[birds chirping]

[gentle music]

[Narrator] The house is a
cathedral of zinc and glass.

[gentle music]

This house has a pretty
strong street presence.

But you don't really get any
idea of what's behind it.

The house itself is
not really evident

from any of the
various elevations

and there is no North,
East, West elevation.

[gentle music]

It is very, very mysterious.

On the other hand,

if you were to look at
it from the backside,

it's this enormous edifice,
almost like a Darth Vader mask,

sort of looming out
over this precipice.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] The house
is built from zinc,

concrete, steel and glass.

It's a three story family home

that covers 548 square
meters, over three floors.

On the top floor is the master
bedroom suite and bathroom.

The floor below has a
guest suite with bedroom,

bathroom and private terrace.

The ground floor is
completely given over

to a vast open plan living
room, dining area and kitchen.

[upbeat music]

This unique piece
of origami unfolds

into something
quite astonishing.

When you enter the house,

you enter through
this long corridor

where the ceilings
are fairly low.

But there is a certain
anticipation as to what's going on.

And then this enormous
space opens up.

Like a flower it just
reveals itself all at once.

[gentle upbeat music]

This is the kitchen,
dining and living room.

It's all one big space.

Spaces like this can
cause the spirit to soar

and give a sense of
sort of exhilaration.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] When it came to
designing this striking home,

Peter chose San Francisco based
architect, Luke Ogrydziak,

and gave him free reign
to indulge his creativity.

For us that was amazing

because as architects,
we're very excited

about pushing the boundary of
what's possible geometrically

and thinking, how
can we make spaces

that have the
excitement and the depth

and the complexity
that nature does.

[Narrator] What Luke has
created is an unusual home

that has the ability
to amaze and surprise.

[Luke] You need to
move through the house

to understand how it opens up.

By moving through it, the
secrets of the house unfold.

[Narrator] One of the most

surprising elements to
this house is a secret room

that goes totally unnoticed.

This hidden room,
which is Peter's study,

is reached via a
solid steel staircase.

It appears to levitate high,
over the vast living room.

As you can see,
we developed a study

which floats above
the public space

and creates a
private reading room.

The library's up there and
there's also work desks,

so that you're both
participating in the main room,

but hidden.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] Peter's
study is made

from three enormous sheets
of thick, polished steel.

They were assembled off site

and needed cranes to
lift them into position.

The room appears to
float above the kitchen

and looks out across
the living room.

[upbeat music]

But this clever pod-like
office is in fact hung

from a pair of long metal rods.

The rods drop down from
a joist in the ceiling

and bolt directly
onto the study floor.

The base of the study
rests on a steel joist

that cantilevers
out of the wall.

[gentle upbeat music]

[birds chirping]

Peter wanted to delight

and amaze friends and
guests at his house.

And so the element of surprise
flows through upstairs.

We saw an opportunity
to do something

that would be both fun and
terrifying at the same time.

This is the gallery or the
entrance into the master suite.

We decided to put in a grate,

so you can see through
to the living room below.

And it creates a certain tension

as you walk over this thing,

looking down about 20 our
feet into the living room.

[gentle music]

This is the master bedroom,

which has
floor-to-ceiling glass.

[upbeat music]

It's absolutely
glorious in the morning

because you can open the shades.

And as the sun hits the
mountain, in the distance,

it's bright pink
with a sun coming up.

It's a spectacular view.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] On a separate
floor is a guest bedroom

with en suite bathroom.

Each bedroom has its
own private space.

[gentle music]

Designed to astonish
and astound,

the house contains one
final secret feature

that certainly
does that and more.

[gentle music]

The view and the
window that frame it.

[gentle music]

And what a stunning,
spectacular view it is.

[gentle music]

The views really are what
makes the house so dramatic.

[gentle upbeat music]

Once the doors are open,

the outdoors becomes an
extension of the indoors

and you don't really realize

where the house stops
and the outdoors begins.

We enjoy being in it, living
in it, spending our time here.

We wanted a house

that we lived in every
single square inch of it.

And I think we achieved that.

[Narrator] Peter has taken
innovative building techniques

and created a hidden home that
is impressive yet functional

and very, very striking.

[gentle upbeat music]

[birds chirping]

7,800 kilometers East are
The Wilds of Scotland.

A country where
breathtaking landscapes

stretch as far as
the eye can see.

[birds chirping]

[gentle music]

This place about
standing natural beauty

is the setting for a
unique secret home.

[gentle music]

[birds chirping]

[sheep bleating]

Tucked away in the
Southwestern corner of Scotland

is a place where few people
live and even fewer visit.

[gentle music]

Surrounded by open countryside

with nothing but fields
for miles and miles around,

nestles a home known as
The Hidden Ruins Studio.

[gentle music]

[birds chirping]

[gentle music]

This remarkable
retreat is where owner

and architect, Lily Jencks

along with husband, Roger
Keeling and young children

come to unwind.

[gentle upbeat music]

My family have always
been in this area.

And so I've grown
up coming here.

And the landscape here

is such an important part
of my psyche, I think.

And my mom left this little
bit of land here for me.

And it was a ruin and
she had always imagined

building a kind
of studio up here.

She partly was an artist.

And after I studied architecture,

I started to get some ideas

about how I might be
able to use this space.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] The studio is
a startlingly modern home

built within the shell of an
ancient stone farm building

that has been on the site
for at least 300 years.

The home has been created
across one main floor

and is 180 square meters.

There's a central living space,

kitchen area,

master bedroom suite

and guest suite.

[gentle music]

[birds chirping]

The inherited plot
had a rich history.

So when it came to
designing her own home here,

Lily wanted to respect
the site's heritage.

What's wonderful
about the site obviously

is it's been a
position, looking North

for a really, really long view.

And it looks like there's
been a occupation here

for several hundred years.

[gentle music]

When you arrive up the drive,

most of the house
is hidden actually

behind the existing ruin walls.

We really wanted to preserve
the ruin as much as possible.

And actually the ruin remains

very much as it
was when found it.

[birds chirping]

It was really obvious to me that

to kind of celebrate the history

rather than try and recreate
the exterior and stone

and make it look how
it would've looked.

It would be more fun and
kind of true to the idea,

if we emphasize this
occupation of the site now

and set up as many
differences as possible

across the layers.

So each one is as different
from the next one as possible.

[birds chirping]

[gentle music]

[Narrator] To build
this unusual home,

Lily used the material that's
not exactly traditional

in The Wilds of
Scotland, rubber.

[Lily] We chose
the black rubber

because we wanted something
that would really be different

from the natural
material of the ruins.

And so that black
rubber exterior

sits just within the
walls of the ruin

and slightly it's
a background to it,

but also kind of really
nicely frames them

and offsets the stone.

It's almost like a ghost
of its previous form.

So it's exactly the same
form as it would've been

as a barn building, but now
just with a black rubber there,

you just get this sense
of what it was before.

And it just lets
the stonework shine.

[gentle upbeat music]

[Lily] The design
became almost a game

of how could you emphasize
the difference more.

You have the rocks than
you have the rubber

and then certainly complete
different on the inside.

[Narrator] As you step
through the front door,

you are totally unprepared

for the innovative
design on the inside.

You enter into this
smooth, white curving space

with light bouncing in
from all different angles.

People come in
and say, "Oh wow."

[Lily laughing]

No one's expecting it.

[gentle music]

The experience of this
space is much softer

than I realized actually.

And I love that more, that
it's a kind of cocooning,

soft, welcoming space,

particularly in this room,
which is a sitting room.

And then it's divided from the
kitchen area by these walls,

which are part of
the existing ruin.

We tried a lot of different
designs to try and see

how we wanted the curves
to relate to these.

And in the end kind of decided

to separate the curves from it

and allow them to stand
kind of by themselves.

'Cause they're so beautiful

and they have the
old windows in them,

which are kind of
these arrow splits

and then the kind of crack,
that was just always there,

that we just managed to save.

And so they're a wonderful
reminder of the history

of the building on the interior.

I love that contrast inside.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] The extraordinary
design continues through

to the modern kitchen.

[Lily] What I love about it

is that it's so
bright and light.

You've got the wonderful view,
looking out over the hills,

you can see for miles.

[Roger] And the window
which frames it so perfectly

that it seems like a
bigger view than you had

before you were actually
inside the house.

[gentle music]

And you can really
see how the curves

and this organic form

is related to the
landscape around here.

And so when you see these
curves on the interior,

and then look out of, you
can see the hills here,

rolling over the countryside.

[gentle music]

[birds chirping]

[Narrator] It's the
curving interior walls

that have allowed Lily
to hide the rooms within.

[gentle upbeat music]

The way that it's designed

is that the forms curve
away from the windows

to create this thickness.

This kind of thickening
and bulging of the interior

allows us to have the
kind of private spaces

of the bedroom and bathroom,

kind of hidden in the
curves of the wall.

[gentle upbeat music]

[Narrator] When
it came to designing

this incredible
building, architect, Lily

didn't want to do it alone.

I really enjoy a design

as a kind of back and
forth conversation

where you can hold onto
idea and then push it back,

see how someone
else approaches it.

And then you push back to them.

And it would be a different
project, definitely,

if I had done it by myself.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] To help her realize
the amazing curve design,

Lily worked with good friend

and fellow architect,
Nathanael Dorent.

This part was very
challenging to design.

We did more than a hundred
3D models to make it happen.

And each model had different
options in terms of,

how those skylights,
how the curves,

how the all these different
lines would work together

with the rest of the
space, with the views,

with natural lighting
and everything else.

So there were a lot of
prototyping, a lot of modeling,

a lot of 3D modeling.

And then once the pitch
roof part was done,

we had to take all
the measurements

and adapt the 3D model to it,
and then start fabricating it.

[gentle music]

[Narrator] To create the
ingenious interiors of the home

experts first used
a 3D laser to scan,

measure and plot the old ruins.

They used the scan as a
guide to make a wooden frame

for the curving walls

to fit within the pitched
volume of the home.

They then positioned
one meter by one meter

blocks of polystyrene
into the frame

and carved them in
to the curved shapes.

Finally, they coated the
sculpted blocks in fiberglass.

[gentle upbeat music]

To make sure that this
innovative design would work,

engineers first
erected it full size,

offsite, in a warehouse
in South London

before transporting it to
Scotland for final installation.

Because we built the
interior fiberglass layer

in a warehouse so that
we could test the scale

on the curves at one to one,

we had to make sure that
we were able to build it

and move it in here,

make sure it would
fit through the doors

and that one person
could really carry it.

So constructing it was
really like a jigsaw puzzle.

[Roger] It was a great
sculptural exercise, wasn't it?

[Lily] Yeah.

It was wonderful to
see it in full scale

in a warehouse in Greenwich.

[gentle upbeat music]

[Narrator] The resulting home
Lily and Roger have created

is one where old a
new world's collide,

which their children
very much enjoy.

Kids are always surprising,

but they're
particularly surprising

with how they deal
with the architecture

that you had all planned out

and all kind of
aesthetically designed.

And then they find
their own uses for it.

And see it kind of
like a playground.

Particularly these little
things that you don't expect.

Like it has these
very slight slopes

leading into the bedrooms
and into the bathrooms.

And our kids can just play

sliding up and down
these things for hours,

using it as a sort of
almost like a bobsleigh

down these little slopes.

[upbeat music]

[Narrator] But this house
conceals one last secret,

a room below the main floor.

[upbeat music]

The bathroom accessed
through the guest bedroom

is a hidden gem.

[upbeat music]

From here, we've got
this little secret space

where actually you don't expect

there to be a floor underneath

and you can walk down
into the bathroom beneath.

[upbeat music]

One of the great things about
this space is the views out.

Although it seems
underground and hidden,

you actually have
wonderful views out

all the way, on a clear
day, over to England.

And we got this bath
positioned specifically

so that you can lie in
the back of the bath

and see all the way out.

It's very, very pleasing.

[upbeat music]

[birds chirping]

[Narrator] Lily and Roger
have put their own mark

on the history of
this incredible site.

They're the latest in a
long line of custodians.

I think always when
you're in a ruin,

you have this sense of,
"Who was here before,

"what were they doing?"

That's really the
pleasure of it, I think,

of being in a ruin
and kind of thinking

about the past of
occupation of a space.

I guess it almost still
feels like a ruin,

particularly from the
outside, not from the inside.

[Lily laughing]

Clearly not from inside.

[gentle music]

Such a special spot here.

And I always wanted to
be able to live here

and to wake up to that
amazing view in the morning.

[gentle music]

I think my mom wouldn't
have imagined this

'cause it's quite unusual,

but she was very creative,

so I think she would
kind of be delighted

of creating something
so unexpected here.

[birds chirping]

[Roger] It's our
retreat, isn't it?

- Yeah.
- Really.

[cows mooing]

The cows know it's here and
that's about the size of it.

[Lily laughing]

[gentle music]

[Narrator] Lily and Roger
have breathed new life

into this ruin,

which promises to be a part
of the Scottish landscape

for many years to come.

[gentle music]

[birds chirping]

[gentle upbeat music]