Two practice鈥檚 鈥�21st-century country house鈥� in Kent wins 2017 RIBA accolade
RIBA鈥檚 2017 House of the Year award has been won by James Macdonald Wright and Niall Maxwell鈥檚 Caring Wood project in Kent, inspired by the county鈥檚 traditional oast houses.
Judges praised the 1,443sq m property near Maidstone for reviving local building crafts and traditions through its use of locally sourced handmade peg clay tiles, locally quarried ragstone and coppiced chestnut cladding with a project designed for three generations of the same family.
The design by Macdonald Wright 鈥� who runs his own eponymous practice 鈥� and Maxwell, of Rural Office for Architecture, comprises four towers with interlinking roofs that judges said were 鈥渓ike markers鈥� in the landscape, echoing other oast houses in the area.
Deborah Saunt, who chaired the judging panel, said the house 鈥渞e-imagined the traditional English country house鈥� at the same time as 鈥渟peaking of its time and place: with a contemporary design that has clear links to the rural vernacular鈥�.
Saunt said that in addition to 鈥渟ublime craftsmanship鈥� and 鈥渟patial grandeur鈥� Caring Wood offered new possibilities for the future of extended family living.
鈥淎t a time when we are increasingly atomised, individually preoccupied and lost in personalised digital worlds, designing homes where families come together 鈥� in their many permutations 鈥� is an increasingly important aim,鈥� she said.
鈥淲hile this might seem to be a particular brief for one extended family, it is one taking huge risks in asking how we collectively might live inter-generationally as social structures evolve.鈥�
Saunt said Caring Wood was a 鈥渂rave project鈥� that could offer solutions to the nation鈥檚 housing crisis, 鈥減roviding care solutions for young and old alike, freeing people from punishing costs throughout their lifetimes鈥�.
RIBA president Ben Derbyshire said Caring Wood cleverly accommodated the client family鈥檚 鈥渄esire to be together and their desire to be apart鈥� by exploring new architectural methods, materials and crafts.
鈥淚鈥檝e no doubt many of the ideas displayed at Caring Wood will influence UK housing for many years to come,鈥� he said.
Macdonald Wright said Caring Wood鈥檚 success proved that small practices could 鈥渄o big things鈥� by joining together.
鈥淚t was made possible by the combination of an incredibly dedicated team and a uniquely supportive client,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檇 like to thank them.鈥�
Maxwell, whose practice was invited to work on the project by Macdonald Wright, said collaboration had been key to realising the project鈥檚 design.
Caring Wood beat six other shortlisted projects in the 2017 awards: Shawm House by MawsonKerr Architects; Ness Point by Tonkin Liu; 6 Wood Lane by Birds Portchmouth Russum; The Quest by Strom Architects; Newhouse of Auchengree by Ann Nisbet Studio; and Hidden House by Coffey Architects.
Hidden House, in Clerkenwell, central London, is a 72sq m home built on the site of a forner caretaker鈥檚 shed above disused prison vaults. It was the last of the 2017 awards鈥� shortlisted homes to be announced.
Judges praised Coffey Architects鈥� design for the 鈥渓ight, open feeling鈥� created with the single-storey property, despite the fact that the building only has openings on its north-east and north-west elevations.
鈥淭he minimal, external elevations sit comfortably next to [a] school building, while also delivering an open and engaging corner within the sitting room,鈥� they said.
鈥淭his building has been rigorously considered in its design and beautifully delivered in its construction.鈥�
The longlist for House of the Year 2017 is .
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