Sustainable home and stone barn conversion added to RIBA House of the Year shortlist

Thu, Dec 2, 2021 9:33 AM

House in Assynt - a sustainably built timber home with spectacular views on the west coast of Scotland - and The Outfarm - an exquisite conversion of an early 19th century stone barn, once used to house prize cattle in Devon - are the fifth and sixth homes to be shortlisted for RIBA House of the Year 2021.

The annual award is presented to the best new architect-designed house or extension in the UK.

The shortlist for the RIBA House of the Year 2021 so far is:

The Water Tower by Tonkin Liu
House on the Hill by Alison Brooks Architects
The Slot House by Sandy Rendel Architects with Sally Rendel
House for Theo and Oskar by Tigg + Coll Architects
House in Assynt by Mary Arnold-Forster Architects
The Outfarm by TYPE Studio.

House in Assynt, by Mary Arnold-Forster Architects, is an exemplary model of sustainable and considered architecture which makes as minimal an impact on its environment as is possible and yet which leaves a lasting legacy for its occupants to enjoy.

Photo: David Barbour Photography

Setting aside the innovative off-site fabrication, the transportation and construction challenges and the harsh exposure of the site, this building is an exquisite study in volumetric space and light which has produced a house which is exactly tailored to the client’s brief and is a joy to experience.

The Outfarm, by TYPE Studio, was found by chance, as a ruin on a plot of land, with no permission for re-use. Since then, it has truly been rescued and should be recognised as a building of high architectural and historical significance.

As a piece of contemporary design, everything that has been added brings continuity to its past and present life and sets up a wonderful future of further interpretation and use. From the structural steel shoes that stabilise the original half-rounded columns, to the new roof, specifically engineered to allow for an additional mezzanine ifand when necessary.