The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has revealed the winners for its 2019 Housing Awards. Now in its 19th year, the annual awards highlight the best residential architecture designed by US-licensed firms. This year offers a strong selection of projects, from luxurious rural retreats to affordable inner-city housing.
The 2019 Housing Awards comprises a total of 12 homes that AIA's five-member jury feels demonstrate design excellence and are "sustainable, affordable, durable, innovative, socially impactful, meeting client needs, and addressing the natural and built contexts."
The dozen projects are split into four categories: One/Two Family Custom Residences, One/Two Family Production Homes, Multifamily Housing, and Specialized Housing. Here are a couple of standout designs to whet your appetite.
Interface Studio Architects' Tiny Tower is a compact home designed to fit into awkward city plots that aren't suitable for building a standard house on. It's located in Philadelphia's Brewerytown neighborhood, which is currently undergoing redevelopment.
Likened to a downsized skyscraper, Tiny Tower is 38 ft (11.5 m)-tall and fits into a 12 x 29 ft (3.6 x 8.8 m) space. It has 1,250 sq ft (116 sq m) of floorspace spread over five floors (plus a rooftop terrace), with a surprisingly comfortable-looking interior.
The Off-Grid Guesthouse, by Anacapa, is located on California's coastline. The home juts out over the hillside and offers choice views of the stunning scenery, with its living room opening up to the outside with sliding glazing.
The home is topped by a green roof and, due to its remote location, runs totally off-the-grid with solar panels. Water is drawn from a well on the site.
Head to the gallery to see more on these two homes, as well as the 10 other projects highlighted in the AIA 2019 Housing Awards.
Source: AIA