RIBA House of the Year: Why Channel 4’s showcase of Britain’s best homes still divides architects - Ric Blenkharn
Readers might have noticed that this year’s RIBA House of the Year Award is now airing on Channel 4, presented by Kevin McCloud.
The award was established in 2013 to recognise homes of all shapes, sizes and budgets across the country. For homes that not only delight their owners, but also set the standard for quality design, innovation, craftsmanship and sustainable living.
Such houses range from small modest extensions to large country properties and hopefully showcase what can be achieved through careful design. I have to say though, that as an architect I do find the programme excruciating at times. I suppose this comes from a career of designing homes and hopefully being able to discern the good, the bad and the ugly.
One of the homes featured in the first programme was a new house called Clayworth, by award winning Leeds practice Arkle Boyce.
The practice were approached by our client to design a contemporary one-off house specifically for accessible use for a couple moving from a Grade II listed 17th century farmhouse due to the requirements of one of the occupants who had sadly suffered a stroke in 2018.
Their vision was to create a high-quality proposal that places accessibility, design and sustainability at the top of the agenda whilst respecting and improving the setting and responding to the local context with regard to materiality and siting.
The proposals make use of local flint and timber, whilst large expanses of glazing open up to the naturalistic landscape setting. The result is a low-lying pavilion that adopts a passive approach to sustainability.
First principles were to exploit natural energy by having naturally shaded and fully glazed elevations, which avoid overheating in summer and yet utilise solar gains in winter and include a highly insulated building fabric.
The scheme has a green roof to minimise any visual impact of the proposal, reduce rainwater run-off and provide increased biodiversity of plant life and an additional habitat for wildlife.
Other featured homes included a small house on the Isle of Harris called Caochan na Creige by a new small practice, Izat Arundell.
Having visited Harris last year, I can see clearly how the house has responded to the rugged landscape with an equally rugged architectural response.
I did have some misgivings about the fenestration of the building and also the interior fit out, yet the award judges noted: "This self-built home in the Outer Hebrides is an exceptional project by young practice Izat Arundell.
"Designed and hand-built by the architect-founders themselves, it stands as a rare example of deep-rooted, site-responsive design, conceived with care and executed with remarkable craft and restraint. The building blends effortlessly into the rugged Hebridean landscape, with a material palette that honours the ancient Lewisian gneiss rock surrounding it."
I would suggest that anyone with an interest in architecture should tune into the programme, to see what is achievable with sensitive thought. No matter how small the project or how small the budget, good design can significantly enhance your home.