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Architecture

Remote off-grid Lochside House declared Britain's House of the Year

By Adam Williams
November 29, 2018
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Scotland's Lochside House, by Haysom Ward Miller Architects, has been declared the winner of RIBA's prestigious House of the Year competition
Richard Fraser
Lochside House is located in a rural area in Scotland's West Highlands
Richard Fraser
Lochside House is finished in Scottish larch and surrounded by a drystone wall
Richard Fraser
Lochside House includes three bedrooms
Richard Fraser
Lochside House blends into the beautiful Scottish landscape
Richard Fraser
"By containing its scale, sensitively positioning the crop of buildings on a promontory around established trees, and making use of local materials, Haysom Ward Miller have created a home which perfectly responds to its exposed, unique location," says RIBA President Ben Derbyshire
Richard Fraser
Lochside House has a total floorspace of 195 sq m (2,098 sq ft)
Richard Fraser
Lochside House's interior is finished in oiled timber and rough-textured plaster
Richard Fraser
Lochside House's interior includes three bedrooms, a living room, study, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a dining room
Richard Fraser
Lochside House includes generous glazing to frame the beautiful rugged landscape
Richard Fraser
Scotland's Lochside House, by Haysom Ward Miller Architects, has been declared the winner of RIBA's prestigious House of the Year competition
Richard Fraser
View gallery - 10 images

This year's winner of the prestigious RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) House of the Year competition has been announced. Haysom Ward Miller Architects got the nod for Lochside House, an energy-efficient off-grid home that takes its place very well among the rugged landscape in Scotland's West Highlands.

Lochside House is finished in Scottish larch, which was charred using the Japanese shou sugi ban technique to improve its durability. Prefabricated SIPs (structurally insulated panels) were also used. The architects did a superb job making the home blend in with the landscape and it looks like it truly belongs on the lakeside site.

Lochside House has a total floorspace of 195 sq m (2,098 sq ft)
Richard Fraser

The home has a total floorspace of 195 sq m (2,098 sq ft), spread over three primary buildings, plus another nearby that serves as an artist studio. This design reflects the traditional agricultural buildings that are scattered throughout the area and offers the benefit that unused sections can be left unheated. One of the buildings is topped by a flat green roof.

The interior is finished in oiled timber and rough-textured plaster, and consists of relatively modest-sized rooms that have generous glazing to put the focus on the beautiful landscape. It includes three bedrooms, a living room, study, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a dining room.

Lochside House includes generous glazing to frame the beautiful rugged landscape
Richard Fraser

Owing to its remote location, Lochside House runs completely off-the-grid. All energy derives from a solar power system and water is pumped from a borehole. The home also has its own sewage treatment system.

"Lochside House is truly breath-taking," says RIBA President Ben Derbyshire. "By containing its scale, sensitively positioning the crop of buildings on a promontory around established trees, and making use of local materials, Haysom Ward Miller have created a home which perfectly responds to its exposed, unique location. With a highly sustainable, off-grid approach to energy and water, it leaves the surrounding environment as undisturbed as possible. Every detail has been fine-tuned to create an exceptional home and studio that meets the needs and wishes of its artist owner. Lochside House is the perfect addition to this dream landscape."

Sources: RIBA, Haysom Ward Miller

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ArchitectureLuxuryHouseHomeOff-gridRIBA
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Adam Williams
Adam scours the globe from his home in Spain in order to bring the best of innovative architecture and sustainable design to the pages of New Atlas. Most of his spare time is spent dabbling in music, tinkering with old Macintosh computers and trying to keep his even older VW bus on the road.
2 comments
Martin Winlow
Well, if that's the PV (solar) array on the back left roof plane (under the snow) in the top picture a/ it's going to be badly shaded from low-angle winter sun by the huge roof right in front of it and b/ *surely* to goodness it has a system to automatically remove snow from the array, given that these panels are its only source of electricity?! Classic case of 'form over function'?
And why no pics of what must be a fabulous view?!!!
Nik
No architects invention will, ''blend into the countryside,'' unless it is buried in it! The more exterior walls you have, the greater the heat loss, this building has far to many, for efficient conservation of heat. Partially building it into the ground, would lessen the heat loss, and go some way to ''blend it into the countryside.'' The wood store, will hold enough wood for one evening, so lots of trips carting wood in, and ash out, and no sign of an ash pan to the fire, so lots of shovelling and sweeping of ash, when its time to clean it out. It appears that the main heating may be from oil, if the 'out-building' with the big tank behind it, is an oil storage tank. If so, then the owner should be prepared for escalating oil prices, if the Carbon Tax crowd get their way. A floor plan would have been a useful addition to enable appreciation of the design. Otherwise, a superb location, and probably a very peaceful and comfortable home.
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