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Grand Designs: House of the Year returns tonight, with a series of breath-taking new houses which blown the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)’ judges away.
In the third programme of the series, airing tonight on Channel 4, Kevin and his co-presenters, architect Damion Burrows, Natasha Huq and design expert Michelle Ogundehin, visited five properties battling it out for a place on the shortlist, all of which push the boundaries in conventional design.
Each week he’ll exclusively reveal which houses the RIBA judges have put through to the shortlist, and in the final programme announce the winner of this prestigious prize.
The third episode, which focuses on RIBA’s pick of the country’s pioneering properties which break the mould, features a modern Tudor barn, a tiny home built on the plot of a garage and an unusual extension complete with a faux-mountain.
Grand Designs: House of the Year returns tonight, with a series of breath-taking new houses which blown the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)’ judges away (pictured, Mountain View in London)
Earlier in the series, Kevin explored homes completed in challenging circumstances, as well as awe-inspiring homes.
But tonight, the presenter explained each of the different houses ‘does their own thing’.
He said: ‘These are buildings that boldly go where no house has gone before, making us rethink what a home can be.
‘[They are] trailing new revolutionary space and maybe even accidentally starting a brand new architectural movement all by themselves.
‘These are mould breaking houses, that showcase the power in taking risks. Where they lead, the rest of us, will surely follow.’
In the third programme of the series, airing tonight on Channel 4, Kevin and his co-presenters, visited five properties battling it out for a place on the shortlist, all of which push the boundaries in conventional design (pictured, Peeking House in London)
The third episode, which focuses on RIBA’s pick of the country’s pioneering properties which break the mould, features a home which brings the outside in with an unusual design
MODERN TUDOR BARN
The first stop for the programme was in Surbiton, where there is one very particular style of building; mock Tudor houses.
However the property long-listed, Tudor Springs, combines the Tudor style with an indoor-outdoor living of California modernism.
Kevin called it a ‘bold and beautiful pioneer of a brand new architectural style.’
Downstairs is a triple height hallway, with an open-plan living and dining space, kitchen, cinema room, study and hallway.
Upstairs is a guest room with an en-suite, a bathroom and a bedroom, as well as a dressing room and a covered balcony.
The first property on the programme, Tudor Springs, combines the Tudor style with an indoor-outdoor living of California modernism
Downstairs is a triple height hallway, with an open-plan living and dining space, kitchen, cinema room, study and hallway (pictured)
Visiting the home, Damion praised it for having ‘a lot of energy’, while Tom explained the client had said she liked ‘New York industry loft style but also Palm Springs modernism’
The building is the first ever build by architects Tom Sermon and Percy Weston.
Visiting the home, Damion praised it for having ‘a lot of energy’, while Tom explained the client had said she liked ‘New York industry loft style but also Palm Springs modernism.’
He continued: ‘Around here there is a lot of mock Tudor architecture, so our approach was to try to blend all these different influences.’
‘In a mock Tudor building, the beams are all timber. Here, we’ve reimagined that in an industrial way using steel as the structure. It’s a steel exo-skeleton that wraps the entire building.’
The windows offered a roughed up industry twist on mock Tudor features. Tom said crittel windows were ‘almost like a scaled up version’ of the traditional smaller windows.
The RIBA judges praised Tom and Percy for subtly playing with the traditions and creating a building which is both unique and appropriate for the context.
The monochrome palette and open plan living space has all the calm and connection to nature as a California summer house.
Meanwhile Damion called the main room backing onto the garden ‘epic’.
The bedroom at the back of the house has a vaulted ceiling and a stunning balcony.
Percy said they had designed the balcony as a ‘space where you could sit outside in the pouring rain, have a cup of coffee and watch the world go by.’
MODERNIST INSIDE-OUT HOME
The second property The Derwent Valley Villa, in a village in Derbyshire, was featured in the programme and was according to Kevin ‘at the forefront of the boundaries of what a family home could be’
It is organised in a revolutionary way. It is one building, broken up into blocks spread across the plot and connected with glass corridors so you’re always immersed in the remarkable gardens (pictured, the living space)
It is home to a blended family, made up of Craig and his three children, and his partner Charlie and her two. This unusually laid out house is the perfect place for youngsters to play hide and seek
The RIBA judges were surprised and delighted by the novel experiences the house offers, including emerging from the vast entrance hall way into the living space
The second property featured in the programme was according to Kevin ‘at the forefront of the boundaries of what a family home could be.’
The Derwent Valley Villa, in a village in Derbyshire, is organised in a revolutionary way. It is one building, broken up into blocks spread across the plot and connected with glass corridors so you’re always immersed in the remarkable gardens.
It transforms the experience of being indoors.
The secret? Its in the layout of the blocks, with a garage, the entrance block with an office and bedroom. Meanwhile, a glass corridor leads to a kitchen and living area. Meanwhile upstairs, a gallery looks out on the living area, with four bedrooms.
It is home to a blended family, made up of Craig and his three children, and his partner Charlie and her two. This unusually laid out house is the perfect place for youngsters to play hide and seek.
Kevin called the house ‘phenomenal’, saying he was surrounded on every side by the gardens.
The RIBA judges were surprised and delighted by the novel experiences the house offers, including emerging from the vast entrance hall way into the living space.
There is a modern kitchen at one end made out of solid oak, and a double height living room at the other end.
The room was built from industrial materials – including concrete and steel. It’s a bold aesthetic which pushed Craig out of his comfort zone when the architects first suggested it.
He said the combination of steel staircase and exposed concrete brickwork.
Meanwhile there are cosy kids bedrooms and a main suite with extraordinary views.
The journey to building the property has been painful. Craig brought the plot with Lisa, his wife and the mother to his children, but soon after she was diagnosed with a terminal illness. She died before it got started.
Craig said: ‘My instinct was to forget about the whole project and sort of – you know, sell it. And then in the end, I came around. Maybe we should carry on with the project, and it’s kind of a nice, new start for the kids.’
Before he completed the house, he met Charlie, who also lost her husband.
The pair have five bereaved children between them, with Craig saying: ‘This has been a healing experience. I think they would like the house.’
Charlie added: ‘There’s a piece that comes with us all living together. They’re both in the foundations of this bridge, their ashes are in each side. So they are as involved in the family and part of this house as we are.’
TINY ‘PARKING SPACE’ HOME
The interior of Peeking House leads you three metres below ground, and was commissioned by Chris, a local who rents the house out to tenants
The lowest level has a bedroom, while the third level has a bedroom and bathroom. At ground level is the kitchen and dining room, while upstairs is the living space (pictured, the kitchen)
And far from feeling dark and cramped, the whole home feels spacious and light. It is linked by an open staircase, meaning you are always connected to the outside and other storeys
Michelle visited the third property for the programme, in West London. Peeking House is a ground breaking family home, built on a foot print the size of a garage.
The interior leads you three metres below ground, and was commissioned by Chris, a local who rents the house out to tenants.
Chris said: ‘I live on the road and walk past it every day. It was abandoned and getting ever worse, overgrown and full of mattresses.
‘I approached the owners about buying it. Initially I just put up some new fences and expected to use it for storage.’
‘I couldn’t believe you could build a house on 12 metres by 12. The radical idea that unlocked the homes potential was to dig deep underground, and then stagger four storeys.’
The lowest level has a bedroom, while the third level has a bedroom and bathroom. At ground level is the kitchen and dining room, while upstairs is the living space.
And far from feeling dark and cramped, the whole home feels spacious and light. It is linked by an open staircase, meaning you are always connected to the outside and other storeys.
Chris said: ‘We needed to maximise the volume and the light.’
Another of the architects ideas was to leave the architectural features uncovered, including internal brickwork.
Chris said: ‘We were saving precious inches on the dimensions of the property. We decided to expose it all to get extra floor to ceiling height.’
There was built in storage, which the RIBA judges admired, saying the rooms were surprisingly light and airey, while cleverly placed glazing helped the building expand.
Chris said: ‘I think it looks almost rural in character.’
It might feel rural, but there were a lot of urban issues when building the home – including tunneling under the street to connect the house to London sewer system below.
The architect Damion said: ‘At the time I was very worried that we’ve got cars and lorries coming back and forwards. We had to make sure any big lorries coming, we had to stop and send a different direction so we didn’t have any tunnels falling in on top of us.’
The ingenious small building is supremely successful and a trailblazing design for the UK.
‘RADICAL’ COTTAGE
The fourth pioneering longlisted took one of the local brick cottages in Suffolk and gave it a thrillingly radical and modern upgrade
The 19th century building had been rebooted for the 21st by cloning it – and connecting the two buildings with a large extension and open-plan living area
The RIBA judges were dazzled by the innovative approach the couple had taken to restore the cottage and felt the new living space at the rear of the property was ‘remarkable’
The fourth pioneering longlisted took one of the local brick cottages in Suffolk and gave it a thrillingly radical upgrade.
The 19th century building had been rebooted for the 21st by cloning it. A shiny contemporary copy, made from modern materials, now sits next to the original.
It is connected to it by a second storey extension. It’s two house sin one, owned and designed by Tom and Liz Miller.
They live there with their daughters, who have their own wing. The remodelled cottage has a hallway downstairs with Liz and Tom’s bedrooms above, while an open-plan extension at the back has the kitchen and dining area.
The new cottage is connected to the extension, and contains the girls’ bedrooms and a shower room.
Tom explained: ‘When you’re trying to tie a new bit of building with an old building, one of the ways to do that is to replicate what is there already.
‘The old building had these rectangular tile slates, so we’ve got these shaped fiber cement ones. Where the original has these original flint walling, we could use flint blocks.
The RIBA judges were dazzled by the innovative approach the couple had taken to restore the cottage and felt the new living space at the rear of the property was ‘remarkable.’
With a huge sitting room at the centre, a cosy snug at one end and a kitchen at the other, the multi-functional space unlocked the home’s potential.
Tom said they could ‘come together’ in the extension at the back ‘central space’ at the home.
Liz said: ‘During lockdown, the girls were studying for exams and quite often they could come and study in here, so they just had this beautiful view. It accepts all kinds of uses.’
And the couple have broken new ground with the green credentials of this house. Every detail has been carefully considered.
Liz said: ‘We have been pushing the experimental boundaries and really considered what we were using.’
They said they’d focused on materials which didn’t require too much production.
Their resourceful approach to the house was also capped by their budget – of £300,000.
Tom said he had to create the kitchen because they didn’t have a lot of money – and the worktops were all just bamboo.
He said: ‘It was one of those things we had to experiment with here, and now we’ve used it elsewhere.’
In the old cottage, the couple have worked with the higgedly-piggedly old building, and thought of unorthodox design.
The cottage was hailed by Kevin as ‘extraordinary’, taking a traditional building and being inspired by it, updating it, without losing the building’s character.
MOUNTAIN EXTENSION
The final pioneering original home was The Mountain View, which was hiding behind the back of a primped and proper home in South West London
The pioneering mind behind it all was Matt, a young architect, who lived there with his wife Laura and their children. He designed the home to include personal touches, including red and white painting columns as a nod to Laura’s days as a Geography student
The final pioneering original home was hiding behind the back of a primped and proper home in South West London.
It’s an extension and remodelling of an existing house which dramatically rethinks what a home can look like.
The pioneering mind behind it all was Matt, a young architect, who lived there with his wife Laura and their children.
She said: ‘There were so many things which I’m just not convinced of, and I needed convincing. And I wouldn’t necessarily choose you as my architect.’
From the front door, you pass a renovated living room and then everything after that has been remodelled, with a new utility room and a main family area.
It’s sunken from the original level, with dining, seating and eating. Upstairs are the original rooms within the building.
And at the back is a mountainous extension, which includes a mountain landscape made from foam aluminum.
Matt wanted his family’s home to express all the things they were interested in – explaining: ‘We saw these pictures of a Disney land ride in San Diego where they were making this hyper realistic mountain and we thought, why not try to replicate it.’
Laura said: ‘Like every idea he has, I was very concerned. But I know it was his one opportunity, given that its our house, to really go for it and do something that he loves, that any other client would be worried about.’
The RIBA judges enjoyed the surreal experience of the house, as well as the individuality and personal expression.
And it’s not just Matt who has had his personal interests replicated in the home – the columns, painted red and white, replicated the poles used to map landscapes, while sunken in the floor are survey markers.
Both are references to Laura’s days as a Geography student. She said: ‘I love nature and the outdoors and the natural landscape. There’s references throughout.’
Stepping inside is a theatrical experience, revealing a room full of references waiting to be decoded.
Laura said the couple were ‘really keen’ not to lose the original character of the house, so the brick wall was retained.
The mixtures of styles, materials and textures in the house made it a kaleidoscope of taste.
The original house was a hotch-potch of Edwardian spaces. To transform the space cost £220,000 and they didn’t stop downstairs.
Upstairs was a bright and airy hallway, which opened right up to the roof.
Laura said: ‘The age old question we get asked with this house is, why did we do certain things, why did we put a mountain on the back. And the answer becomes, why not? And that just infiltrates into your life as well.’
Kevin explained that while the house may make Matt and Laura happy, it’s also fun, pioneering and deeply, deeply odd.
He said: ‘There are so many great qualities that architecture can bring to our lives. All good, all recognisable – and then there are those harder to spot qualities, the emotional ones – the joy and light that a building can bring to people’s lives.
‘Let me tell you with this building, the joy and delight are absolutely palpable.’
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