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00:00Asian arrangement, oh, play of light and all that, but you don't need the bifold doors, okay?
00:06What I'm really saying is that you're not quite ready for the Royal Institute of British Architects House of the Year competition, you know?
00:14Maybe next year.
00:16However, this lot are good to go.
00:22Yes, it's that time again when Britain's boldest new homes step into the spotlight.
00:28While the rest of us wonder if we've chosen the wrong shade of greys.
00:33Dear Santa, could I please have a house like this yours, Kevin?
00:43The judges have chosen a long list of Britain's most remarkable new buildings.
00:49Fantastic view. I mean, that could be the Mediterranean there.
00:53From houses that squeeze into the tightest of corners.
00:56You had to get everything past that drain pipe.
00:59It was like building a ship in a bottle.
01:02To bungalows that feel like basilicas.
01:05Oh, my Lord.
01:06This is the first bungalow I've ever seen that has a sort of ecclesiastical corridor.
01:11The houses we explore will be whittled down to a short list of just seven.
01:15The range on offer is really, really exciting.
01:18I think it'll be really exciting to see the house that wins and shines through.
01:22Before we find out in the final programme, which one is the House of the Year 2025?
01:30So, come and get some tips as we show you the next set of nominees.
01:35And by the way, those big green ceramic bowls that look like cabbages.
01:39I mean, they're just weird.
01:40I mean, they're just weird.
01:40So far, two homes have claimed their place on the short list.
02:06Kirk and the Crake, a jewel set deep in the Isle of Harris.
02:12And Hastings House, a triumph of engineering and elegance.
02:17Now, there are six more buildings to explore.
02:25Oh, that's good.
02:28You know the feeling.
02:30It's when you arrive and exhale, and it might be the smell of the salt air,
02:35or it could be a reflection on a polished floor,
02:38or just that somebody else is doing the washing up.
02:40But whatever it is, you know you are on holiday.
02:43Well, what if that feeling wasn't restricted to two weeks in August?
02:48Well, what if your home, the place where you live,
02:51could make you feel like that every day?
02:55This week, we are escaping to houses that do just that,
03:00that pick you up and drop you somewhere utterly magical.
03:04Of course, they offer the delights of great design.
03:07But they also promise escape.
03:15Snooping around these homes with me this time is the architect Damien Burroughs.
03:20It's a certain amount of design and a certain amount of just making it work.
03:24Now, I'm off to visit our first long-listed house in North London,
03:36where, tucked into these tightly packed city streets,
03:40is a piece of remarkably clever design.
03:44This is Catching Sun House.
03:47Hemed in on all sides.
03:49It's been shaped to drink in daylight from morning till dusk.
03:52Step inside, and you're somewhere else entirely.
03:57The architect and owner is Mark Shaw.
04:02Hello.
04:03Hi.
04:03Hey, Mark.
04:04Hello. How are you?
04:05Yeah, I'm really well. How are you?
04:07I'm very well. Thanks for coming.
04:08This is a lovely, lovely place to arrive at.
04:11I've just come off this very British street
04:12into something that is from the other side of the planet.
04:15It's like something from Asia or Australia.
04:18That is the most common response,
04:20and that's what I was trying to do, actually.
04:22To have that escape from life.
04:25And, you know, I'd spent, I don't know,
04:2616 years living in a Victorian terraced house,
04:30which faced north and west,
04:32and there was never any light in the house.
04:34So I wanted to have as much light as possible in here.
04:38Mark designed the house around the movement of the sun over the plot,
04:46so he could bring light into every room.
04:49On the ground floor, there's a kitchen-dining living space,
04:52a bathroom, two bedrooms, and then above, a study.
04:56The RIBA judges praised the ingenuity of the architect
05:03in creating an unexpected and serene home.
05:07I love the fair-faced blockwork walls,
05:11the smooth, polished concrete floor.
05:15But this is a new one.
05:18What is that?
05:19So I hate kitchen extractors,
05:21and I had a brainwave where I remembered when I was at college
05:25and I used to do welding.
05:26Yeah.
05:27So this...
05:28You put one in.
05:28This is a welding extractor which you can pull down,
05:31you can have a big piece of meat on here,
05:33and all the fumes just get extracted out.
05:35Amazing.
05:36It's like one of those kind of things at the dentist
05:37where you have, you know, they do an X-ray.
05:39They all leave the room.
05:40That's what I want to do once you switch that on.
05:42How noisy is it?
05:44I can switch it on.
05:45It's not that noisy.
05:47No?
05:47Need a bit of paper.
05:49I've got a handkerchief.
05:50Hang on a minute.
05:51It's clean.
05:51Okay, so let's just find out.
05:52Yes!
05:57Most of them are bright yellow and really ugly.
06:00Yeah.
06:00Eventually found this one is from Poland,
06:03and it's dim steel.
06:05So I FedExed it over from Poland.
06:10Tracking down an industrial welding extractor in Poland,
06:14that was the easy bit.
06:16But getting permission to build the house at all
06:18meant negotiating with the neighbours,
06:20a task as appealing as diffusing a bomb
06:22while wearing a blindfold.
06:24And it was Emma Hugh, the project architect,
06:27who got handed the wire cutters.
06:30So with this kind of site,
06:31probably the biggest challenge was the fact
06:33that there's 27 neighbouring properties around it,
06:36and we needed to get agreement with those 27 neighbours
06:40that we could access their gardens
06:43to be able to build the building
06:44and replace the wall that was at the end of their gardens.
06:47So that was a complicated process that took quite a bit of time.
06:5527 neighbours, five months of garden diplomacy,
06:59a legal jigsaw of party walls and permissions.
07:03But back inside, all that hassle evaporates.
07:08The master bedroom is calm and elegant,
07:11with a view that feels almost Mediterranean.
07:13Lovely room, with a beautiful, again, lifted ceiling,
07:20so you get that.
07:21View of the sky.
07:22Fantastic view.
07:23Sky, greenery.
07:26But this, this is,
07:28so you've got a shower in the bedroom,
07:29no, you haven't got a shower in the bedroom,
07:30you've got a, that's the bedroom,
07:31this is the shower, this is in the outside world.
07:33Yeah.
07:34Right, I'm with you.
07:35Where did this idea come from?
07:40I was on holiday in Thailand
07:42and was staying in a sort of typical Thai sort of bungalow
07:46and the bathroom, it was just out the back
07:48where there was just a sort of pipe coming out of the wall
07:51and no shower tray
07:53and it was surrounded by like really amazing tropical plants.
07:58And I just thought,
07:59how can I transport this magical feeling to...
08:02But you've done it here, haven't you?
08:03...East London.
08:03And in a dense part of the city,
08:11plots like this are tight,
08:13so Mark's made every inch count.
08:16This pigeon-step staircase is allowed just
08:19because it only leads to a single room above.
08:23It's clever, compact,
08:25and just wide enough if you breathe in.
08:29So you might be thinking, as I am in this moment,
08:31two or three questions.
08:33How do I navigate a staircase like that?
08:36Does it meet building breaks?
08:38It does.
08:40And what happens when I'm drunk?
08:41But I'm not.
08:45I'm sober, lying there's a mountain goat,
08:48and I am blown away by this.
08:53It's a study with a view,
08:55like none I've seen in a built-up urban area.
08:59How can your soul not be touched by that?
09:06Which was once a disused MOT garage.
09:11That's the magic.
09:13It's not so much of architecture,
09:14but of the architectural mind.
09:16These are people, like Mark,
09:19who can turn scraps into things of beauty,
09:24who can see the potential of something
09:27where no one else can see it,
09:29who can take things which are free,
09:32like the sun and the wind and the rain,
09:35and from them craft experiences
09:38which are priceless.
09:46We've seen one house so far.
09:48Five more to go before we find out
09:50who will be shortlisted for the House of the Year 2025.
09:53Designing your way to paradise sounds appealing,
10:08but it's a fine line between escapism and theme park.
10:12I mean, one minute you're painting a wall coral pink,
10:14the next minute there's a flamingo in the loo
10:16and a pineapple-shaped lamp,
10:18judging your life choices.
10:20Anyway, this next house
10:22doesn't mess about with props.
10:24It built its fantasy properly,
10:26with geometry and conviction
10:27and a cocktail of its own.
10:29One part drama, one part delight,
10:31shaken, not stirred.
10:34Mmm.
10:36Oh.
10:37That tastes like regret.
10:42I'm in Surrey to visit our next longlister.
10:46This is Triangle House,
10:48a mid-century home
10:50which has had a Caribbean-inspired reworking.
10:54The RIBA judges praise the playful
10:56and inventive use of materials,
10:59color, and form
11:00that propel it into something exceptional.
11:10Inside, there's a double-height hallway
11:12that connects the living room, TV room,
11:15and storage space of the original house.
11:18There's a long kitchen diner,
11:20split by brick petitions,
11:22with a larder at the front
11:23and doors to the garden.
11:25Upstairs, there are three bedrooms,
11:27connected by a bridge
11:29and a bathroom.
11:31It was designed by architects
11:34Benedetta Rogers and Daniel Marmot.
11:36Benedetta, how are you?
11:38Hi, nice to meet you.
11:38Welcome.
11:39Nice to meet you.
11:40Where did this overhanging canopy
11:43and V-shaped structure come from?
11:45We added this quite colorful canopy
11:47and column
11:48which sort of wanted to show
11:49that something slightly different
11:51was happening beyond.
11:52Looking at the house,
11:53it's got a really strong identity.
11:55The client gave us this book
11:57called Caribbean Style,
11:59which is an amazing reference book
12:00of kind of different colors
12:02and atmospheres
12:02in traditional Caribbean houses
12:04and some more modern ones.
12:06And they really wanted to bring
12:07some of that flavor
12:08through into this house.
12:09So we really wanted this feeling
12:11of a house that's transportative
12:12when you step through the front door.
12:15And when you step into the kitchen,
12:18it doesn't disappoint.
12:21This just makes you happy, doesn't it?
12:24Yeah, I mean, the yellow
12:25was like a really important color
12:27for the client.
12:28They really love this idea
12:29of it feeling like a really sunny,
12:31optimistic interior.
12:33But it's not just the color
12:35that lifts you.
12:36It's the way the house opens up.
12:39There are no corridors,
12:40no rigid plan,
12:41just a gentle sequence of spaces,
12:43each one giving you
12:45a glimpse of the next.
12:47The client at the beginning,
12:49they were quite clear
12:50they didn't want it to be open plan.
12:52But we've created something
12:54which feels like overall space,
12:56but it's also got
12:57very distinct qualities.
12:59And yet the result
13:01still feels expansive and open.
13:05In Caribbean homes,
13:06open layouts are often used
13:08to keep heat from building up.
13:11Here, they're used
13:12for a different reason.
13:14Every time you have a doorway,
13:15you have to buy the door,
13:16you have to pay for the hinges,
13:17you have to install it,
13:18you have to paint it,
13:19you have to line it.
13:20So doing away with doorways
13:22was a way of both
13:22taking the cost out of the project,
13:24but also creating
13:25this spatial experience.
13:26Wow.
13:27And when you take that
13:28and then multiply it by 10, 20,
13:31these are significant savings.
13:33And we call this
13:34an enfilade of spaces almost,
13:35like you might get
13:36in an art gallery
13:37where you walk from one room
13:38into another,
13:38into another,
13:39but you always get views
13:40from one room to the next.
13:42So for example,
13:43if you're in the kitchen cooking,
13:44you get a glimpse
13:44of the dining hall,
13:45but you don't feel like
13:46the kitchen and the dining hall
13:47are all open plan.
13:48So it's kind of somewhere
13:50between open plan living
13:51and a series of isolated rooms.
13:54Step out into the garden,
13:56and you really couldn't feel
13:58further away
13:59from suburban Surrey outside.
14:01This is the space, isn't it?
14:02This is what it's all about.
14:04It's about being out here.
14:05This relationship with the garden,
14:07it's just magical.
14:09Yeah, it's funny,
14:09the clients call this space
14:10Club Tropicana
14:11because it does feel like
14:12it's quite unusual
14:14in this setting.
14:15So you've got these
14:16kind of big banana palms
14:17and all the really lush planting
14:18make it feel like
14:20you're not in the UK.
14:22The careful use of colour
14:23inside continues outdoors.
14:25where the blocks
14:27making up the triangular columns
14:28aren't quite the familiar grey.
14:31They're a very subtle shade of blue.
14:34And all of those colours
14:36from inside,
14:37those bright, vibrant colours,
14:38they're pulled through into here,
14:40but then just slightly
14:41notched down a tone
14:43to this wonderful
14:45kind of aqua blue.
14:46Well, it's funny that you say wonderful
14:48because these have actually
14:49never been specified
14:50before this house.
14:51They were so unpopular
14:52when the company launched them
14:53that we showed them to the client
14:55and they really loved them.
14:57So we asked for some,
14:58they said,
14:58actually, well,
14:59we're not really producing them anymore.
15:00They've been discontinued,
15:01they're so unpopular.
15:02But we managed to find
15:03a dusty pallet
15:04in the corner of their factory
15:05that was left over.
15:07So we took that
15:07and brought it to site
15:08and then the builder
15:09really skilfully cut them
15:10into these triangular columns.
15:14They didn't throw money at it.
15:17Instead, they found value
15:18in the overlooked,
15:20the dusty and forgotten,
15:22allowing them to focus
15:23on what's really important.
15:26By stripping out expensive finishes
15:28and complex detailing,
15:31they've allowed this house
15:32to truly sing,
15:34which means that
15:34every single day
15:36it transports you
15:38to a tropical paradise.
15:45Architecture can do many things.
15:49It can shelter you,
15:50it can cuddle and exalt you,
15:53it can impress your neighbours,
15:55it can even drain your bank account,
15:56and sometimes it can do
15:57all of these things
15:58at the same time.
16:01But the best architecture
16:03messes with your sense
16:05is a place
16:06it can transport you.
16:08So you walk into
16:09your front door
16:10in, I don't know,
16:11Splott,
16:12which is in Cardiff,
16:14and suddenly
16:15you are taken
16:16to a completely
16:17different place.
16:18Our next house in the running
16:22for a place on the short list
16:23is in South London
16:24and was commissioned
16:25by a young couple,
16:27Iroki and Rachel.
16:29A few weeks after
16:30Rachel and I got married,
16:32I was cycling
16:33through Regent's Park
16:34and hit a car,
16:37so it was my fault,
16:38and got rushed to A&E
16:44at St Mary's Hospital.
16:46Four or five hours later
16:47and I saw you in hospital
16:48and you were laying in the bed
16:50and they told us
16:52that he was never
16:53going to walk again.
16:57Out of this life-changing event
17:00emerged an idea
17:01for something extraordinary.
17:03We started to think
17:04maybe we should
17:05think about building.
17:06And then we had
17:06a very, like, actionable
17:07reason that we needed
17:09to do this.
17:15This is Niwa House,
17:18formerly a derelict
17:19infill site,
17:21given new life.
17:23The RIBA judges
17:25praised this hidden gem
17:27as a secluded oasis
17:28that allows escape
17:30from the noise of the city.
17:33In this intricate home,
17:35there's a study
17:35that looks out
17:36onto the garden,
17:38a living room
17:38which connects
17:39to a dining room,
17:40kitchen and utility room.
17:42In the basement
17:43is a main bedroom
17:45with an accessible wardrobe,
17:47a bathroom,
17:48two further bedrooms
17:49and a cinema and gym.
17:54Hiroki was born in Japan,
17:56which has been a powerful driver
17:58for some of the design.
18:00We've definitely been influenced
18:02through a lot of the principles
18:04that we think represents
18:05Japanese culture.
18:06We always knew
18:07that that was something
18:07that, you know,
18:08we connected with.
18:13The architecture
18:14is based on a traditional
18:15Japanese summer pavilion
18:16or azumaya.
18:18There is an engawa,
18:20a covered Japanese porch
18:21that runs around the house.
18:24The forest of columns inside
18:26is taken from traditional
18:28Japanese temple architecture.
18:31There are subtle nods
18:32to Japanese design throughout.
18:36It's like when you go to Japan
18:37and you go to the temples
18:38and all of the doors
18:40slide to one side
18:41when you open them.
18:42And then very similarly here,
18:43if you slide all the windows open,
18:44you're out onto the garden.
18:45Walls that discreetly melt away
18:51and consistent floor levels
18:53aren't just good accessible design,
18:55they're good design.
19:00I don't think you come in
19:01and go,
19:01oh, this is a wheelchair accessible house.
19:03There are obviously, like,
19:05individual smaller things
19:06where, you know,
19:07there's grab rails
19:08in the bathroom
19:09and things like that.
19:10And even there,
19:11we've tried to do it
19:12in a way that makes it
19:13a bit more muted
19:14than in your face.
19:16More through the choice
19:17of materials
19:18and things like that.
19:19I'd say 90%
19:21of the accessibility
19:22is not specifically
19:23making it accessible
19:24but factoring it in
19:26as you design a house.
19:30Architecturally,
19:31it was very important
19:32that it doesn't feel
19:33like it was designed
19:34by guidelines
19:35and, you know,
19:36design codes
19:37for accessibility.
19:39So we discussed a lot
19:40about how the house
19:42needed to be
19:43uncluttered,
19:44open,
19:45very kind of generous.
19:47So there's plenty
19:49of open-planned space
19:50with generous wide corridors
19:51and an easy transition
19:53between ground floor
19:54to basement
19:55in a lift.
19:57Below,
19:57Hiroki and Rachel
19:58can train in the gym
20:00or watch a film
20:00with their kids.
20:02One of their proudest spaces,
20:04though,
20:04is the garden.
20:07Niwa means garden
20:09in Japanese.
20:10Having a home
20:11where from every angle
20:12you can see something
20:13of nature
20:14I think makes
20:15a big difference.
20:17The ambition here
20:18was not to frame
20:19a view of the garden.
20:20It was to live in it.
20:23It almost feels
20:24more like
20:25a house
20:26that's in
20:26a walled garden
20:28than
20:28a house
20:29with, like,
20:30a garden attached
20:30to it.
20:38This house
20:39is connected
20:40to nature
20:40everywhere
20:41through large openings
20:42and long views
20:44which make
20:44all the difference.
20:48We really, really
20:49love it here.
20:50Even when you've got
20:51this chaos around you
20:52with kids
20:53and, you know,
20:53you still have
20:54these moments
20:55of relaxation
20:56and peace
20:58and tranquility
20:58enables me
21:00to live
21:01much more freely
21:02as well
21:02and I think
21:03that says a lot
21:04for, you know,
21:05what they did
21:05designing this house.
21:12So far,
21:13we've seen
21:13three houses
21:14that take you
21:15on holiday
21:16but there are
21:17three more
21:18to explore
21:18before we find out
21:20which will be
21:21shortlisted
21:21for the 2025
21:22House of the Year Award.
21:33Oh, to be
21:34beside the seaside,
21:36eh?
21:36Hmm?
21:37Thing is,
21:38many of us
21:39do harbour
21:40some dream
21:42to recreate
21:43those childhood
21:44holidays.
21:46Up sticks,
21:47relocate to the coast,
21:48all in the pursuit
21:49of this idea
21:51of creating
21:52the perfect
21:54permanent vacation,
21:55right?
21:56Except it's not
21:56like that
21:57because the realities
21:59of the everyday,
22:00pressures of work,
22:01money worries,
22:02they soon find out
22:03where we live
22:04and, yes,
22:05before long,
22:06they've moved in
22:06as well.
22:08However,
22:08this next family,
22:09I think,
22:10may have cracked
22:11that problem.
22:13What's that?
22:15Oh,
22:15I've gone overdrawn
22:16again!
22:21Our next home
22:23vying for a place
22:24on the
22:24House of the Year
22:25shortlist
22:26is on the
22:26glorious
22:27Kent coast.
22:29This is
22:30Sea Sky House,
22:31a big,
22:32beautiful
22:32beach hut
22:33of a home,
22:34but one
22:35mercifully lacking
22:36in seaside
22:36cliché.
22:38Not an anchor
22:38or porthole
22:39in sight.
22:40No,
22:41this is an
22:42elegant Scandi
22:43coastal home,
22:44minimal,
22:45clean,
22:45full of
22:46natural materials
22:47with an
22:47enveloping
22:48sense of
22:48coosiness.
22:50Its architects
22:50and owners
22:51are David
22:52and Sophie.
22:56We were in
22:57London,
22:57in Hackney.
22:58We were
22:59expecting our
23:00second child
23:01and decided
23:02that we
23:03wanted to
23:03escape the
23:04city.
23:06We came down
23:07on a Sunday
23:08and the
23:09sailing fleet
23:09was going out
23:10and we got
23:10some fish and
23:11chips on the
23:11beach and
23:13we were
23:13sold.
23:17The plot
23:18was expensive
23:19and by
23:20themselves
23:20they couldn't
23:21afford it
23:22so they
23:22devised a
23:23cunning plan.
23:26It came up
23:27at just the
23:27right moment
23:28when it was
23:28possible for us
23:29to buy the
23:30site together
23:30with two
23:31other families.
23:32It's a really
23:33fun thing to
23:33do with
23:34friends.
23:37One of the
23:38families building
23:38next to them
23:39were Tim
23:40and Katie.
23:42We were
23:43invited to
23:44kind of come
23:44in on the
23:44project.
23:45We didn't
23:45really hesitate.
23:46We were like
23:46yep,
23:47you were at
23:47the pub
23:48weren't you
23:48and you
23:48phoned me
23:48and said
23:49how about
23:50this?
23:50Yep,
23:51I literally
23:51sent him
23:52a link
23:52and said
23:53shall we
23:53sell our
23:54house and
23:54do this
23:55and Tim
23:55said yes.
23:57And the
23:57kids were
23:57small so
23:58that idea
23:58of having
23:59this community
23:59and a
24:00space where
24:01they can
24:01kind of
24:01play and
24:02be together
24:02and safe
24:03because I
24:03don't think
24:04kids play
24:04out the
24:05same way
24:05anymore.
24:13To make
24:13the most
24:14of the view
24:15David and
24:15Sophie
24:16flipped the
24:16layout of
24:17their house.
24:18This is an
24:20upside down
24:20home, so the
24:22sleeping area
24:22is at the
24:23bottom and the
24:24living area on
24:25the top.
24:27On the ground
24:27floor there are
24:28four bedrooms and
24:30a family bathroom.
24:32Then on the
24:33first floor there's
24:35an open plan living,
24:36dining and kitchen
24:37area and a roof
24:39terrace looking out
24:40to majestic views
24:41over the sea.
24:46Organising the
24:46floors this way
24:47meant there were
24:48some important
24:49things to consider.
24:51Building the
24:51house upside down
24:52means that you have
24:53to have a slightly
24:54different kind of
24:55hallway because the
24:56living rooms are
24:56upstairs.
24:57You want to have
24:58some way of receiving
24:59people on the ground
25:00floor and having a
25:00little bit of space
25:01to say hello and have
25:01a chat before you
25:02actually head
25:03upstairs.
25:03And you head
25:06upstairs expecting
25:07a sensible,
25:08well-behaved
25:09kitchen.
25:10What you get is
25:11far more interesting.
25:13There's a light
25:14used in Marrakesh
25:15Airport hanging
25:16over the table.
25:18An open hearth
25:19fireplace perched
25:20on a lumber of
25:21church wall.
25:23And doors that
25:24belonged to a
25:24public building in
25:25the 1930s.
25:29The RIBA judges
25:31called it surprisingly
25:32eclectic and
25:33entertaining,
25:35which is code for
25:37someone enjoyed
25:38themselves doing
25:39this.
25:40We reclaimed a
25:41load of science
25:42lab tables and we
25:44tried to use every
25:45square inch of
25:46them.
25:47So sills,
25:48thresholds,
25:49baths around,
25:51steps are all
25:52made from them.
25:53And I love the fact
25:54that they've got old
25:55pen drawings from
25:57the 60s or
25:57something, some of
25:59them slightly
25:59inappropriate.
26:00What's really
26:01extraordinary is
26:03that they didn't
26:04get the objects
26:04to fit the house
26:05they designed.
26:07In some places,
26:08they designed the
26:09house around the
26:10object.
26:11With the doors,
26:12for example, we
26:13bought them months
26:14before we finished
26:15designing the house.
26:16So we actually
26:17designed all of the
26:17corridors and the
26:18bedrooms and the
26:19scale of the spaces
26:19downstairs to suit the
26:20doors rather than the
26:21other way around,
26:21which is completely
26:22different.
26:23It's so high on the
26:26ground floor.
26:27It's designed around
26:28the doors.
26:32So, yes, the
26:33ceilings are tall, but
26:35only because the
26:36doors said so.
26:37But amid all the
26:38whimsy and architectural
26:40mischief, Sophie and
26:42David have carved out
26:44something surprisingly
26:44grown up, a fully
26:46soundproofed workspace.
26:47It was important for
26:49us to have a space
26:50where we could do
26:51video calls.
26:53And obviously, it's
26:54amazing during
26:54lunchtime.
26:55You can just walk
26:56down to the beach
26:57within two minutes,
26:58which is a nice way
27:00to break up the day.
27:00It's the lunchtime
27:04reset I like.
27:06No doom scrolling,
27:08no sad sandwich,
27:09just a walk to the
27:10beach and sand in your
27:12socks before the 2pm
27:14zoom.
27:16Evenings here aren't
27:17scheduled.
27:18They just unfold.
27:20A view, a sunset,
27:22someone mixing drinks,
27:24and suddenly the day's
27:25taken a turn for the
27:27blissful.
27:28It's like a nice sea,
27:30with a view,
27:31with a sunset,
27:33everything.
27:34With my dad making
27:35cocktails, yes.
27:37And nice suppers and
27:39stuff like that.
27:41It's definitely like a
27:42holiday.
27:42Houses, which are built
27:59in impossibly sunny
28:01climates, like California,
28:03for example, obviously
28:04they give you the
28:05sensation of being on
28:06holiday every single day
28:07of the year.
28:07what with their sun-soaked
28:10walls of glass and
28:11their flat roofs serving
28:13as sun decks and
28:14their inside-outside
28:15swimming pools and
28:16their ridiculous
28:16cantilevers.
28:18The question really is,
28:19of course, can you
28:20reproduce that kind of
28:21architecture and the
28:23sensations it produces
28:24under the grey skies of
28:27London?
28:29Well, our next house
28:30tried to do just that,
28:32failed, and then
28:34succeeded.
28:39This is South London.
28:41I used to live very
28:42briefly, not far from
28:43here, and I'm so pleased
28:45to see nothing much has
28:46changed.
28:47Oh, except for this.
28:51This is not a garage.
28:53No, this is Courtyard House,
29:00a California-inspired home
29:02with glass walls, lush
29:04outdoor planting, and space
29:07to imagine yourself in
29:08sunnier climes.
29:13Hello.
29:14Hello, nice to meet you.
29:15I knew, that came to the
29:16right place.
29:17The owner is a brand
29:19consultant, Ruth, who lives
29:21here with her two daughters.
29:23She originally came from
29:24this part of London and
29:25decided to move back.
29:28I kind of knew this house
29:29already because I knew the
29:31area, and I'd always
29:32spotted this black fence with
29:34the orange door, and I
29:36always wondered what was
29:36behind it.
29:37So when it popped up for
29:38sale, it was quite
29:40interesting to see what
29:41actually was behind it.
29:43This was here from the
29:4470s, this house?
29:45It was.
29:46It was.
29:46So an architect bought
29:48the plot of land where a
29:50garage was and some of the
29:52garden at the back, and
29:54built a single-story house
29:55for him to live in back in
29:571979.
29:59The house was built on a
30:01sort of Californian
30:02aesthetic.
30:03So it was very light.
30:04It had lots of glass.
30:06Yeah.
30:06But the glass was all single
30:07glaze.
30:08It was floor to ceiling.
30:11It was a Californian-style
30:13house, built as a homage to
30:14the American case study
30:15houses built between the
30:171940s and 60s.
30:19There was a housing boom
30:20after World War II as US
30:22soldiers returned, and
30:24world-famous architects in
30:26California designed a series
30:27of prototypes for affordable
30:29homes that could be
30:30replicated and rolled out.
30:35Great.
30:36Can we...
30:36Come on in.
30:37Yeah, I'd love to.
30:38It's just kind of hinting at an
30:40invitation there.
30:45Off the courtyard garden at the
30:47front of the house is Ruth's
30:48office, which connects to a
30:50long L-shaped kitchen, living
30:52and dining space that opens
30:54onto the rear garden, with a
30:56bathroom in the middle and one
30:58of the girls' bedrooms facing
30:59the front yard.
31:02Ruth's added a first floor to
31:04the home that was here.
31:05Up there is a mezzanine second
31:07living room, with Ruth's room
31:09at the back, a second bathroom
31:11in the middle, and her other
31:12daughter's room at the front.
31:14As you walk in, the effect is
31:16extraordinary.
31:20Wow!
31:21It's very light in here.
31:23That's partly because of that
31:24thing.
31:26That's bringing so much of the
31:28sun into the building.
31:30How do you clean it?
31:32I have a very agile window
31:33cleaner.
31:35Ha!
31:36The Spider-Man.
31:37He is.
31:38So if we assume that this
31:40building is paying homage to its
31:41case study roots, the idea of
31:44somehow amplifying light in the
31:46hope that you could persuade
31:47yourself you're living in
31:48California.
31:49Was that part of your brief?
31:50It was.
31:51But obviously, you know, a case
31:52study house in California is
31:54great for warmth, Californian
31:57warmth and Californian sun.
31:58You know, we had to make that
31:59ethos work for a rainy, cold
32:01London.
32:02You know, it rains, it's cold, it
32:03snows sometimes.
32:07Case study houses relied on the
32:09warm L.A. climate to heat them.
32:12So they were built with light
32:13materials and were single glazed.
32:16So Ruth's upgraded her home.
32:22You've more than double glazed, so
32:23you've kind of upped the
32:24performance.
32:24Yeah.
32:25The windows were the most
32:26expensive thing.
32:26You know, you can have a
32:28Californian aesthetic, but it's
32:30got to function for London.
32:32Hence the thermal insulation,
32:35the triple glazing glass.
32:37You know, you can have the
32:38aesthetic, but the function of
32:39it has to be right.
32:41Yeah.
32:42Do you need to go on holiday as
32:43much as you used to?
32:45Does this provide...
32:46I can't afford to go on
32:47holiday anymore.
32:48Who needs a holiday when
32:53you've built the escape
32:54already?
32:55A house that gives back more
32:57than any around the world
32:58trip could.
33:00And her children are the
33:01lucky ones here.
33:03Oh.
33:04Nice staircase, Trixie.
33:06It's really nice.
33:07You don't feel any kind of
33:08bounce to it whatsoever.
33:10Her daughter, Trixie's room,
33:12sits right at the top of the
33:13house.
33:14You have this amazing,
33:15wonderful green view,
33:16kind of contrasted by this
33:18bright white.
33:20And then this kind of cozy
33:22space in between.
33:23It's offering a great deal
33:24of experience, the building,
33:25for a very small amount of
33:28building.
33:28Yeah.
33:29I mean, this is a small
33:30space, but it's actually just
33:31so lovely to come and sit here
33:33because you have all of that
33:34going on and all of that
33:35going on as well.
33:37Trixie was so inspired by
33:39this project that it prompted
33:41her to take up a career in
33:43design.
33:44They never actually
33:45considered going into
33:47architecture until this project
33:49came around.
33:49Really?
33:50Yes.
33:51I actually got to do some work
33:53experience with the architects
33:54and just seeing how they
33:56operated and being in that
33:59office, I was like, actually,
34:01you know what, I can do this.
34:04So I think, well, of course,
34:06I feel at home here.
34:07But mainly I just feel really
34:10inspired.
34:14A house that can inspire a
34:17choice in career is one
34:19extraordinary building.
34:20But I think the secret to its
34:22success isn't just the building
34:23itself, but the way it makes
34:25the best of what's around it.
34:28It brings in greenery from
34:30everywhere.
34:31You had the extreme luxury here,
34:35the fabulous condition that
34:38these gardens preexisted.
34:40That's right.
34:40The views, that tree in that
34:42neighbour's garden preexisted.
34:43Everything's established and
34:44mature, so you could place this
34:45building and orientate it,
34:47organise it.
34:48It's very much a project where
34:50we were organising the rooms
34:51around the gardens.
34:52The idea of being able to see
34:54nature from virtually any part of
34:55this house is a great luxury to
34:57have.
34:58Massively so, in dense urban
35:00environments, yeah.
35:06Oh, this is so lush.
35:09I could be in Brazil or looking
35:13at some case study house in
35:15California.
35:17And of course, the building that
35:19was on this site originally, it
35:21reached for those ideas.
35:23It wanted to be an exciting,
35:27glamorous home that was sunshine
35:29filled, and yet it never quite
35:31got there, thanks to its
35:32engineering and the climate of
35:33the UK.
35:34It got stranded halfway across
35:37the Atlantic.
35:39It took Ruth and Lawrence to
35:43finally land it here.
35:44We've seen five homes so far that
35:53take you somewhere completely
35:54magical.
35:58There's one more to go before we
36:00find out which will earn a place
36:02on the shortlist.
36:03At some point in life, most of us
36:15reach a moment when a colleague
36:17takes us aside and says, Kevin, I
36:20think you should think about
36:21retiring, maybe stepping back a
36:23little, you know, letting somebody
36:24else in, slowing the pace.
36:27What happens then?
36:29I mean, what are you going to do
36:31with all that time, you know?
36:32Where am I going to live?
36:33How am I going to live?
36:35Yeah?
36:36Because retirement, it should not
36:37feel like the end of something.
36:40Yeah?
36:40You get this?
36:42It ought to feel like the
36:43beginning of a new career.
36:47And Damien is going to visit our
36:50last home on the long list built
36:51for one such retired couple.
36:54And just to be clear, I have no
36:55intention of retiring anytime soon,
36:57all right.
37:00Oh, hello.
37:02What a strikingly beautiful building.
37:08It's called Ferry House.
37:11The RIBA judges praise the
37:12creativity, invention and skill
37:15involved in creating this
37:16extraordinary shape for a
37:19dramatic and unique home.
37:21The architect was Andy Ramis.
37:24How are you doing?
37:25Hi, nice to hear you.
37:27It certainly takes the breath
37:29away when you see all of this.
37:31Now, who are you designing this
37:33for?
37:34It was designed for a couple and
37:35it was basically their retirement
37:36home.
37:37And, you know, who doesn't dream
37:39of building a home for their
37:40retirement?
37:41If you think about the way that
37:42we normally live, we're at work
37:44all the time.
37:44And this is a home where they're
37:46going to be spending a lot of time,
37:48all their time.
37:52Ferry House is arranged across
37:54two floors with three distinct
37:56wings.
37:57One of the main wings hosts an
37:58impressive main bedroom complete
38:00with walk-in wardrobe and
38:02bathroom.
38:03Opposite is an expansive open
38:05plan living kitchen area.
38:07At the rear of the property is the
38:09smallest wing, which contains the
38:11utility room and garage.
38:14Downstairs on the lower ground floor,
38:16there are additional guest rooms
38:18rooms and bathrooms.
38:22You walk into the kitchen and
38:24immediately consider retirement.
38:27It's calm.
38:28It's crisp.
38:29It's beautiful.
38:30The kind of space that says,
38:32you've done enough.
38:34Sit down.
38:36Have something lemony.
38:38Oh, Andy, this is absolutely
38:42breathtaking.
38:44My overriding ambition was to
38:47create a place that made you feel
38:48incredibly calm, that you could feel
38:51really, really at ease, really,
38:52really connected to nature.
38:55The clients used to live in a house
38:57next door on the site, so had a very
38:59strong idea about what they wanted.
39:02It was all about views, views, views.
39:04You know, that was what we were told.
39:06We are literally walking around with
39:08them and grading the views, almost like
39:11one to ten, say, which is your
39:12favourite view, which is your ten out
39:14of ten view.
39:16Then we're thinking, okay, well,
39:17that's where we want to put the
39:18lounge.
39:19Where's your next favourite view?
39:21That's where we want to put the
39:22kitchen.
39:23And so on and so on and so on.
39:24And that's how the plan really starts
39:26to come together.
39:28It's not just the views that
39:30captivate.
39:31The craftsmanship is extraordinary.
39:34The timber roof runs right through the
39:37house, right through all of the rooms in
39:39the bedroom wing.
39:41How do you make that happen?
39:44Not a single one is out of place.
39:48So number one is meticulous planning.
39:50So it all has to be drawn so that
39:52everything is worked out beforehand.
39:54And then you need a very, very skilled
39:56trade to put it together.
39:57And someone who's very tolerant as well
39:59because this is the kind of thing that
40:01could really drive you crazy if you
40:02weren't careful.
40:03Yeah.
40:03And I'm not sure they were my best
40:05friends actually at the end of it.
40:09Andy sketched the big ideas.
40:13Project architect Laura Locke had to
40:15make them work.
40:17Three wings, tilting roofs and angles
40:20everywhere.
40:21She had to make it all align.
40:24Think architectural origami with steel
40:27and timber are no second chances.
40:35The three wings all angle and fall to
40:39the centre of this building, which
40:41brings with it a number of complexities.
40:44The lining up of all of the finishes,
40:46both internally and externally, which is
40:49not necessarily a parallel situation when
40:51you've got so many angles coming together.
40:53How do you go about making something like
40:56this happen?
40:56Everyone kind of thinks, oh, you know,
40:58it's 100% design.
41:00But in reality, it's not, is it?
41:02It's a certain amount of design and a
41:04certain amount of just making it work.
41:06It's quite difficult.
41:07And I think communication with contractors
41:09is really vital in projects like this.
41:12The work here was so complicated that
41:15something got lost in translation.
41:18We initially set it up with a line of timber
41:22that ran on the underside of the ridge
41:25and the hit boards, and then ran all the
41:29rafter cladding into that ridge board alignment.
41:33The architects weren't happy with that,
41:35so we had to take it down.
41:38Rather than connect the cladding to a central ridge board,
41:41every piece of wood had to be cut and angled
41:44so that it met its twin from the other side
41:47in a razor-sharp, seamless joint.
41:53This place is beautiful.
41:56It's the sort of house that makes you not care
41:58where you left your passport.
42:01Being here really does feel like being on holiday,
42:05with incredible access to the outdoors,
42:08amazing views and vistas in every direction,
42:11even a place to sun yourself.
42:15And all of this is contained within a house
42:18that has been beautifully designed
42:21and detailed by the architect.
42:23We've explored six remarkable homes so far,
42:42but which will earn their place on the coveted shortlist?
42:46In the running are the bold and beautiful triangle house
42:51with a whisper of the Caribbean.
42:54The restrained and elegant Niwa house,
42:56a home shaped by Japanese design principles
42:59and tranquility.
43:01The Californian Courtyard House,
43:04bright, breezy and designed for soaking up the sun.
43:08Sea Sky House, a coastal retreat
43:11where every day feels like a holiday.
43:14Catching Sun House,
43:16a house that basks in light from morning till night.
43:19And Ferry House,
43:21proving that retirement can be anything but retiring.
43:27Joining me is one of the judges, Livia Wang.
43:32How many houses have you shortlisted from this category?
43:34One.
43:35Just the one?
43:36Just the one.
43:36Which is?
43:37Triangle House.
43:38Triangle.
43:39So what is it about that house that caught your imagination?
43:46It's colourful, it's inventive.
43:49So all the blue block work,
43:51the two cuts on it,
43:52they all came on an angle
43:52so they had this really nice blue stone columns.
43:55It's pointing to adventure, isn't it?
43:57It's saying, come with me
43:58and I'm going to take you by the hand
44:00and lead you on an exciting journey through this place.
44:03Yeah, absolutely.
44:05Oh, that's amazing.
44:05Wow, that's really good news.
44:08I mean, it's great.
44:09It's because it's also one of our first projects.
44:12We only started our practice about four years ago
44:14and building takes a long time.
44:17So Triangle House joins the shortlist
44:20alongside Kirk and the Crake and Hastings House.
44:24There are four more places up for grabs
44:27before we find out which is crowned
44:29the 2025 RIBA House of the Year.
44:32Adversity isn't an essential quality in great buildings,
44:40but when it happens,
44:41it actually often deepens the rewards.
44:44I mean, homes which have difficult births,
44:47shaped by struggle and perseverance,
44:50where every decision has been hard won.
44:53When that long journey ends,
44:56in a place of escape,
44:58or in a building that lifts you from the everyday
45:00and takes you on holiday, for example,
45:03then the result is all the sweeter.
45:06It's that Teddy Roosevelt quote,
45:08you know,
45:08I have never in my life envied a human being
45:11who led an easy life,
45:13but I have envied many people
45:15who led difficult lives,
45:17but led them well.
45:19Next time,
45:23we'll explore houses
45:24that celebrate their use of craftsmanship.
45:27They're on spring-loaded pivots.
45:28Yes, spring-
45:29Oh, wow, that's so elegant.
45:31Six more homes that draw you inside.
45:34They're stored.
45:35This is brass, isn't it?
45:35Yes.
45:36It makes a very impressive entrance.
45:38And inspire wonder.
45:40Oh, wow, look at this.
45:41The timber frame is the star of the show.
45:44The timber frame is the star of the show.
46:14It's oldland, man.
46:16It's tiny.
46:17I've already carved you back.
46:18There are some connections with him.
46:19Whatever it is,
46:20it's really nineteenth time to use
46:22for them.
46:23It's rough timesinkioku.
46:24Even thestanding tree,
46:26once in a few years,
46:26it's razor is probably a Vietnam.
46:29It's bastiont.
46:30Hell, you büyük.
46:32You can use two intentions
46:33that all forms of being
46:37wird againstincereados.
46:38Can you do things
46:39that you choose under Warum?
46:40Can you do something?
46:41Can you do anything else
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46:28
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