House on the Hill by Alison Brooks Architects announced as 2021 House of the Year winner

In its final update to the House of the Year competition, the Royal Institute of British Architects has today announced Alison Brooks Architects’ House on the Hill as the winner of the organization's prestigious annual award.

The house features a bespoke contemporary extension of an 18th-century farmhouse structure in Gloucestershire. 

Overlooking the Wye Valley, House on the Hill is owned by a pair of art collectors who saw the conversion as an exciting opportunity to create a gallery-like setting in their own private home. The architects were able to accomplish this transformation by opening up all three stories of the original farmhouse building before installing the two-story extension into which it seamlessly flows.

RIBA President Simon Alford called the project both “intriguing and distinguished” and commended the architectural team for their “geometric design [that] skilfully fuses together the old with the new — connecting two architectures separated by over 300 years,” adding finally that it constitutes, in his view, an “extraordinary labor of love in architectural form.”

The end result was the product of nearly a decade of collaboration between ABA and the homeowners, who happily declared their “admiration for the scheme” adding that “ours was a very protracted project, so the client and architect relationship had to be one of mutual confidence. It was always a pleasure working with Alison and her project architects, and we learned a great deal in the process.”

“It’s a real honor to win RIBA House of the Year amongst an accomplished shortlist of beautiful projects,” the firm’s founder said in a statement. “I see private house commissions as a rare opportunity to test new ideas in a concentrated form — they are the built equivalent of writing an essay. So, this accolade is a testament to my client’s belief in the value of architecture and their willingness to embrace the new.”

The award was announced live as part of BBC Channel 4’s Grand Designs: House of the Year broadcast.