Architecture

Future-proof Red House declared Britain's best new home

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The Red House, by David Kohn Architects, is the winner of the 2022 RIBA House of the Year competition
Will Pryce
The Red House, by David Kohn Architects, is the winner of the 2022 RIBA House of the Year competition
Will Pryce
The Red House is defined by patterned red brickwork that's enlivened by contrasting bold green elements
Will Pryce
The Red House's interior design is focused on being open and light-filled
Will Pryce
The Red House measures 284 sq m (roughly 3,000 sq ft), spread over two floors, and includes a feature staircase as well as an elevator
Will Pryce
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The winner of the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) House of the Year competition has been announced. David Kohn Architects got the nod for the Red House, which was praised by the judges for its lighthearted design and practical approach to future-proofing for the owners' old age.

The Red House was chosen from a longlist of 20 homes revealed by RIBA earlier this year and is located in rural Dorset, southwest England. The project came about when its owners fell in love with the idyllic location and choice views in 2011. After multiple false starts and redesigns, plus a change of architect, they finally moved into their new home a decade later.

Drawing design inspiration from the Arts and Crafts movement, the house features oversized eaves, with contrasting bold green used to enliven its patterned red brickwork. With climate change in mind, its thick, well-insulated walls and large overhangs are meant to protect it from the elements and minimize solar heat gain, especially during summer months. Additionally, its slate roof provides a home for the local bat population. Other nesting sites have also been subtly incorporated into the brickwork.

The Red House's interior design is focused on being open and light-filled
Will Pryce

Inside, the home measures 284 sq m (roughly 3,000 sq ft), which is spread over two floors. Its open ground floor provides a light, airy atmosphere that also ensures accessibility as the owners age. This was a key focus for the project and other complementary elements include a feature staircase with two handrails, rounded corners on built-in furniture, grab-rails on the fronts of cupboards, the use of non-turning door handles and an elevator.

"Ordinary yet quirky, extravagant although utilitarian, The Red House confronts our expectations of a house in a beautiful setting that never wants to settle into being one way or another," said Chair of the RIBA House of the Year 2022 jury, architect Taro Tsuruta. "An aesthetic and sustainable building with future-proof functionality, it draws on architectural references from Morris to Stirling – with many surprises throughout which were applauded by all the jury members. Internally, the enfilade is formed without doors from the entrance to the living, kitchen and dining area, allowing the space to magically flow. This house was certainly the most debated, which in itself deserves praise."

Source: RIBA

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5 comments
BlueOak
An architectural award home… with only 4 photos in this article? And what’s up with:

“Internally, the enfilade is formed without doors from the entrance to the living, kitchen and dining area, allowing the space to magically flow. This house was certainly the most debated, which in itself deserves praise”

One of the few photos clearly shows a double doored entryway. And 3,000 sq ft seems positively palatial for a European home. No more typically and suitably sized homes made the cut?
jerryd
Last thing you need in old age is a large home to maintain and clean. I live in 150sq', 1/20th the size yet I have everything I need and easy to clean, maintain and paid for long ago and as so modest, very low property taxes.
Many of those in the tiny house community are seniors who want to live well on a budget, young that don't want debts.
ArdisLille
A few more photos would be appreciated. But knowing that the house offers a shelter for bats makes up for it--there will be healthy soil for a vegetable garden.
ljaques
"Sustainable" and "3,000 sq/ft home" are squarely at odds with one another. It probably cost half a million quid, too. Clearly not sustainable for the unwashed masses. And at least it has an elevator, since the aged don't do stairs well at all.
andrew
I agree that more photos would have been nice, but I suppose I can Google it. My question is, which is the main entrance? Why are the shrubs so close to the building? That door on the side of the house looks positively blocked by a big shrub, with a ugly patch of dirt in front of it, is that the main entrance? Excellent stairway though, and I would like to walk around this house.