Royal Institute of British Architects announces House of the Year 2023 shortlist

The Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) has announced this year’s House of the Year shortlist which includes a renovated Devonshire cow shed and fortress-like home nestled on the banks of a Scottish loch.

Family home the Cowshed, from David Kohn Architects, comprises an artist’s studio, office and living space, with quirky touches that include lights that had previously been used to warm calves.

Denizen Works’ Hundred Acre Wood is hunkered on the banks of Loch Awe in Scotland and blends elements of the ancient with aspects of the new by paying homage to the country’s baronial castles, brochs and tower houses.

Made of Sand (Jim Stephenson/Riba)

Sitting in the hills of Devon is the house Made Of Sand by Studio Weave, which features an insulated timber frame and Western redcedar cladding.

Also on the shortlist is the five-bedroom home Green House, presented by Hayhurst and Co, which is tucked away down an alleyway in Tottenham, London.

Elsewhere there is contemporary Surrey home Middle Avenue by Rural Office which sits in Farnham and is covered in handmade red clay Keymer tiles.

Inside Middle Avenue (Jim Stephenson/Riba)

The last addition to the shortlist is Saltmarsh House in the Isle of Wight, presented by Niall McLaughlin Architects, which features a pyramidal copper roof with large windows that offer uninterrupted views of the harbour.

Speaking on this year’s shortlist, jury chair, Dido Milne, said: “This year’s Riba House of the Year shortlist includes a range of exciting new typologies, including a rethink of the family terraced house and a model for collective rural living.

“Here we have everything; from homes inserted into tight urban sites and new life breathed into existing structures, to detached rural homes where the architect has been given free rein to reimagine the baronial hall or lakeside retreat.

A look inside Made Of Sand (Jim Stephenson/Riba)

“Localism is a recurring theme, with architects engaging with the local vernacular without being slaves to tradition, and local sourcing of materials targeting both embodied and operational carbon to deliver genuinely sustainable design.”

The winner of the Riba House of the Year 2023 award will be announced on November 30.