RIBA reveals second round of 2022 House of the Year shortlisted candidates

The next two projects vying for the coveted House of the Year title have been released by RIBA ahead of their appearance on BBC Channel 4’s Grand Designs: House of the Year program this evening. 

Transformative designs from Sandy Rendel and Prewett Bizley were selected from a previously announced longlist of 20 homes and will compete against 5 others for the title, which this year focuses on “Hard to Build” residential projects.

Located in West Sussex, Rendel’s Dutch Barn conversion of a barrel-vaulted agricultural structure situated on the edge of a public garden into a three-bedroom home for its client owners features corrugated metal cladding and an attached corten steel viewing tower that provides additional vistas of the grounds for visitors.

Interior interventions include the introduction of an “upside-down” floor plan, which places the home’s office and sleeping quarters at the ground level and an open kitchen and dining area above. It has intimately retained the character of the original 1930s barn, and RIBA says, “the architects have successfully turned the existing structure into a contemporary house that carries a quiet authenticity.”

It is joined by Prewett Bizley’s Mews House Deep Retrofit project in Notting Hill, London. It offered the owners an opportunity to significantly upgrade the energy efficiency of the existing end-terrace type mews structure while reconfiguration of the interior layout towards a more space-friendly and naturally lit user experience for the client’s family.  

A new envelope had to be enacted in order to enable the carbon reduction goals. A moisture-permeable insulating plaster solution was installed after the removal of external walls, followed by more efficient evacuated glass windows and a glazed entryway. A roof-mounted air-source heat pump (ASHP) and mixed-mode ventilation strategy account for an 82% reduction in total energy consumption in line with the city's LETI requirements and RIBA’s own 2025 efficiency targets for new residential constructions.

Additional shortlisted projects will follow via BBC’s Channel 4 on November 30th and December 7th, respectively. A winner will be announced by the end of January. Links to each House of the Year episode can be found here.