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Grand Designs: House of the Year - Season 8 Episode 2
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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.
00:21Yes, 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 greige.
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.
00:52From houses that squeeze into the tightest of corners.
00:56You had to get everything past that drainpipe.
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, well, 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,
03:08but they also promise escape.
03:11Snooping around these homes with me this time
03:18is the architect Damien Burroughs.
03:20It's a certain amount of design
03:22and a certain amount of just making it work.
03:31Now, I'm off to visit our first long-listed house in North London,
03:36where, tucked into these tightly packed city streets,
03:39is a piece of remarkably clever design.
03:44This is Catching Sun House.
03:47Hendian are all sides.
03:49It's been shaped to drink in daylight from morning till dusk.
03:53Step inside, and you're somewhere else entirely.
03:58The 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.
04:08A lovely, lovely place to arrive at.
04:11Don't just come off this very British street
04:12into something that is from the other side of the planet.
04:14You know, it'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.
04:35So I wanted to have as much light as possible in here.
04:42Mark 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.
04:59The RIBA judges praised the ingenuity of the architect
05:03in creating an unexpected and serene home.
05:07I love the fair-faced blockwork walls,
05:12the smooth, polished concrete floor.
05:15But this is a new one.
05:18What is that?
05:19So I hate kitchen extractors,
05:22and I had a brainwave where I remembered
05:24when I was at college and 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, why don't 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, it's clean.
05:51Okay, so let's just find out.
05:56Yes!
05:57Most of them are bright yellow and really ugly.
06:00Yeah.
06:00Eventually found this one.
06:02It's from Poland, and 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.
06:15But getting permission to build the house at all
06:18meant negotiating with the neighbours,
06:20a task as appealing as defusing a bomb
06:22while wearing a blindfold.
06:24And it was Emma Hugh, the project architect,
06:27who got handed the wire cutters.
06:29So 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
06:50that 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.
07:07The master bedroom is calm and elegant,
07:11with a view that feels almost Mediterranean.
07:15Lovely room with a beautiful, again, lifted ceiling,
07:20so you get that.
07:21View of the sky.
07:21Fantastic 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...
07:30That's the bedroom.
07:31This is the shower.
07:32This is in the outside world.
07:33Yeah.
07:34Right, I'm with you.
07:37Where did this idea come from?
07:39I 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.
07:54And it was surrounded by, like,
07:56really 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?
08:03To East London.
08:07And 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.
08:27So you might be thinking, as I am in this moment,
08:32two 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,
08:47lying as a mountain goat,
08:48and...
08:50I 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.
09:01How can your soul not be touched by that?
09:05Which was once a disused M.O.T. garage.
09:11That's the magic.
09:13It's not so much of architecture,
09:14but of the architectural mind.
09:17These are people, like Mark,
09:20who can turn scraps into things of beauty,
09:23who 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.
09:57Designing 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 doesn't mess about with props.
10:24It builds 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.
11:26Upstairs, there are three bedrooms,
11:27connected by a bridge
11:29and a bathroom.
11:30It was designed by architects
11:34Benedetta Rogers
11:35and Daniel Marmot.
11:36Benedetta, how are you?
11:38Hi, nice to meet you.
11:38Daniel, nice to meet you.
11:39Welcome.
11:39Nice to meet you.
11:41Where did this overhanging canopy
11:43and V-shaped structure come from?
11:45We added this
11:46quite colourful 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,
11:58which is an amazing reference book
12:00of kind of different colours
12:02and atmospheres
12:02in traditional Caribbean houses
12:04and some more modern ones.
12:06And they really wanted
12:06to bring some of that flavour
12:08through into this house.
12:09So we really wanted
12:10this feeling of a house
12:11that's transportative
12:12when you step through
12:13the front door.
12:15And when you step into the kitchen,
12:18it doesn't disappoint.
12:21This just makes you happy,
12:23doesn't it?
12:24Yeah, I mean,
12:25the yellow was like
12:26a really important colour
12:27for the client.
12:28They really love this idea
12:29of it feeling like
12:30a really sunny, optimistic interior.
12:33But it's not just the colour
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
12:51to be open plan.
12:52But we've created something
12:54which feels like
12:55overall space,
12:56but it's also got
12:57very distinct qualities.
13:00And yet the result
13:01still feels expansive
13:03and 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.
13:35It's like you might get
13:36in an art gallery
13:37where you walk from one room
13:38into another, into 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
13:49somewhere between
13:50open 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
14:15that you've got these
14:16kind of big banana palms
14:17and all the really lush planting.
14:19Make it feel like
14:20you're not in the UK.
14:22The careful use of colour
14:23inside continues outdoors.
14:26Where 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,
14:39but then just slightly
14:41notch down a tone
14:43to this wonderful
14:45kind of aqua blue.
14:47Well, it's funny
14:47that 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
14:55to the client
14:55and they really loved them.
14:57So we asked for some,
14:58they said,
14:58actually, well,
14:58we'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 skillfully cut them
15:10into these triangular columns.
15:15They 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 every 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.
16:00But the best architecture
16:03messes with your sense of place.
16:06It can transport you.
16:08So you walk into your front door
16:10in, I don't know,
16:11Splott,
16:12which is in Cardiff,
16:14and suddenly you are taken
16:16to a completely different place.
16:18Our next house in the running
16:22for a place on the shortlist
16:23is in South London
16:24and was commissioned
16:25by a young couple,
16:27Iroki and Rachel.
16:28A few weeks after Rachel and I
16:31got married,
16:32I was cycling through Regent's Park
16:34and hit a car,
16:37so it was my fault.
16:39And, yeah,
16:40we 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
16:52Iroki was never going
16:53to 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 think
17:05about building.
17:06And then we had
17:06a very, like, actionable reason
17:09that we needed to do this.
17:15This is Niwa House,
17:18formerly a derelict infill site.
17:21Given new life.
17:23The RIBA judges praised
17:25this hidden gem
17:27as a secluded oasis
17:28that allows escape
17:30from the noise of the city.
17:32In this intricate home,
17:35there's a study
17:35that looks out onto the garden.
17:38A living room,
17:39which connects to 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,
17:50and 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,
18:17or azumaya.
18:18There is an engawa,
18:20a covered Japanese porch,
18:21that runs around the house.
18:23The forest of columns inside
18:26is taken from traditional
18:28Japanese temple architecture.
18:30There are subtle nods
18:32to Japanese design throughout.
18:33It'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.
18:49Walls that discreetly melt away
18:51and consistent floor levels
18:53aren't just good accessible design,
18:56they're good design.
19:00I don't think you come in
19:01and go,
19:01oh, this is a wheelchair accessible app.
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 uncluttered,
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.
20:15The ambition here
20:18was not to frame
20:19a view of the garden.
20:21It was to live
20:22in 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.
20:59It enables me
21:00to live
21:01much more freely
21:02as well.
21:03And 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.
21:17But 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.
21:24Oh, to be beside
21:35the seaside, eh?
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 as well.
22:08However,
22:08this next family,
22:09I think,
22:10may have cracked
22:11that problem.
22:13What's that?
22:15Oh, I've gone
22:16overdrawn again!
22:22Our next home
22:23vying for a place
22:24on the House of the Year
22:25shortlist
22:26is on the glorious
22:27Kent coast.
22:29This is Sea Sky House,
22:31a big, beautiful
22:32beach hut of a home,
22:34but one mercifully
22:35lacking in seaside cliché.
22:38Not an anchor
22:38or porthole in sight.
22:40No,
22:41this is an elegant
22:42Scandi coastal home,
22:44minimal,
22:45clean,
22:45full of natural materials
22:47with an enveloping
22:48sense of coziness.
22:50Its architects
22:50and owners
22:51are David and Sophie.
22:56We were in London
22:57in Hackney.
22:58We were expecting
22:59our second child
23:01and decided
23:02that we wanted
23:03to escape the city.
23:06We came down
23:07on a Sunday
23:08and the sailing fleet
23:09was going out
23:10and we got some
23:11fish and chips
23:11on the beach
23:12and we were sold.
23:17The plot
23:18was expensive
23:19and by themselves
23:20they couldn't
23:21afford it
23:22so they devised
23:23a cunning plan.
23:26It came up
23:27at just the right moment
23:28when it was possible
23:29for us to buy the site
23:30together with two
23:31other families.
23:32It's a really fun thing
23:33to do with friends.
23:35I don't think
23:36she has to be rated.
23:37One of the families
23:38building next to them
23:39were Tim and Katie.
23:40We were invited
23:44to come in
23:44on the project
23:45we didn't really
23:46hesitate
23:46we were like
23:46yep we'll sell our house.
23:47You were at the pub
23:48weren't you
23:48and you phoned me
23:48and said
23:49how about this?
23:50Yep
23:51I literally sent
23:51him a link
23:52and said
23:53shall we sell
23:54our house
23:54and do this
23:55and Tim said
23:55yes.
23:57And the kids
23:57were small
23:58so that idea
23:58of having
23:59this community
23:59and this space
24:00where they can
24:01kind of play
24:02and be together
24:02and safe
24:03because I don't
24:04think kids
24:04play out
24:04the same way
24:05anymore.
24:05To make the most
24:14of the view
24:15David and Sophie
24:16flipped the layout
24:17of their house.
24:18This is an upside down home
24:21so the sleeping area
24:22is at the bottom
24:23and the living area
24:25on the top.
24:26On the ground floor
24:28there are four bedrooms
24:29and a family bathroom.
24:32Then on the first floor
24:34there's an open
24:35plan living
24:36dining
24:36and kitchen area
24:37and a roof terrace
24:39looking out
24:40to majestic views
24:41over the sea.
24:46Organising the floors
24:47this way
24:47meant there were
24:48some important
24:49things to consider.
24:51Building the house
24:52upside down
24:52means that you have
24:53to have a slightly
24:54different kind of hallway
24:55because the living rooms
24:56are upstairs
24:57you want to have
24:58some way of receiving
24:59people on the ground floor
25:00and having a little bit
25:00of space to say hello
25:01and have a chat
25:02before you actually
25:02head upstairs.
25:05And you head upstairs
25:07expecting a sensible
25:08well-behaved kitchen.
25:10What you get
25:10is far more interesting.
25:13There's a light
25:14used in Marrakesh airport
25:16hanging over the table.
25:18An open hearth fireplace
25:19perched on a lumber
25:21of church wall
25:22and doors
25:23that belonged to
25:24a public building
25:25in the 1930s.
25:26The RIBA judges
25:31called it
25:31surprisingly eclectic
25:33and entertaining
25:34which is code
25:36for someone
25:37enjoyed themselves
25:38doing this.
25:40We reclaimed a load
25:41of science lab tables
25:43and we tried to use
25:45every square inch
25:46of them.
25:47So sills,
25:48thresholds,
25:49baths around,
25:51steps are all
25:52made from them.
25:52And I love the fact
25:54that they've got
25:54old pen drawings
25:56from the 60s
25:57or something,
25:58some of them
25:59slightly inappropriate.
26:01What's really
26:01extraordinary
26:02is that they didn't
26:04get the objects
26:04to fit the house
26:05they designed.
26:07In some places
26:08they designed
26:09the house
26:09around the object.
26:11With the doors,
26:12for example,
26:13we bought them
26:13months before
26:14we finished
26:15designing the house.
26:16So we actually
26:17designed all of
26:17the corridors
26:18and the bedrooms
26:18and the scale
26:19of the spaces
26:19downstairs
26:20to suit the doors
26:20rather than
26:21the other way
26:21around,
26:21which is completely
26:22different to how
26:23we normally do that.
26:24It's so high
26:25on the ground floor.
26:27It's designed
26:28around the doors.
26:32So yes,
26:33the ceilings are tall
26:34but only because
26:35the doors said so.
26:37But amid all
26:38the whimsy
26:39and architectural
26:40mischief,
26:41Sophie and David
26:43have carved out
26:44something surprisingly
26:44grown up,
26:46a fully soundproofed
26:47workspace.
26:48It was important
26:49for us to have
26:49space where
26:50we could do
26:51video calls.
26:53And obviously
26:53it's amazing
26:54during lunchtime.
26:55You can just
26:56walk down to the
26:56beach within
26:57two minutes,
26:59which is a nice
27:00way to break up
27:00the day.
27:03It's the lunchtime
27:04reset I like.
27:06No doomscrolling,
27:08no sad sandwich,
27:09just a walk
27:10to the beach
27:11and sand in
27:12your socks
27:13before the 2pm
27:14Zoom.
27:16Evenings here
27:17aren't scheduled,
27:18they just
27:19unfold.
27:20A view,
27:21a sunset,
27:22someone mixing
27:23drinks,
27:24and suddenly
27:24the day's
27:25taking a turn
27:26for the blissful.
27:28It's like a nice
27:29sea with a view,
27:31with a sunset,
27:33everything.
27:34With my dad
27:35making cocktails,
27:35showers, yes,
27:37and nice suppers
27:39and stuff like
27:40that.
27:41It's definitely
27:41like a holiday.
27:42houses which are built
27:59in impossibly sunny
28:01climates like
28:02California, for example,
28:04obviously they give
28:05you the sensation
28:05of being on holiday
28:06every single day
28:07of the year.
28:07what with their
28:09sun-soaked walls
28:10of glass
28:11and their flat
28:12roofs serving
28:13as sun decks
28:14and their inside-outside
28:15swimming pools
28:15and their ridiculous
28:16cantilevers.
28:18The question really
28:18is, of course,
28:19can you reproduce
28:20that kind of
28:21architecture
28:22and the sensations
28:23it produces
28:24under the grey skies
28:27of London?
28:29Well, our next house
28:30tried to do just
28:32that,
28:32failed,
28:34and then succeeded.
28:35This is South London.
28:41I used to live
28:42very briefly
28:43not far from here
28:44and I'm so pleased
28:45to see nothing
28:45much has changed.
28:47Oh,
28:48except for this.
28:51This is not a garage.
28:56No,
28:58this is Courtyard House,
29:00a California-inspired home
29:02with glass walls,
29:04lush outdoor planting
29:05and space
29:07to imagine yourself
29:08in sunnier climes.
29:13Hello!
29:14Hello, nice to meet you.
29:15I knew,
29:15that came to the right place.
29:17The owner
29:18is a brand consultant,
29:20Ruth,
29:20who lives here
29:21with her two daughters.
29:22She originally
29:23came from this part
29:24of London
29:25and decided
29:26to move back.
29:28I kind of knew
29:29this house already
29:30because I knew
29:31the area
29:31and I'd always spotted
29:32this black fence
29:33with the orange door
29:34and I always wondered
29:36what was behind it.
29:37So when it popped up
29:38for sale,
29:39it was quite interesting
29:40to see what actually
29:41was behind it.
29:43This was here
29:44from the 70s,
29:45this house?
29:45It was.
29:46So an architect
29:47bought the plot of land
29:49where a garage was
29:51and some of the garden
29:52at the back
29:53and built a single-storey house
29:55for him to live in
29:56back in 1979.
29:59The house was built
30:01on a sort of
30:01Californian aesthetic.
30:03So it was very light,
30:04it had lots of glass,
30:06but the glass
30:07was all single glaze,
30:08it was floor to ceiling.
30:11It was a Californian-style house
30:13built as a homage
30:14to the American
30:15case study houses
30:16built between
30:16the 1940s and 60s.
30:18There was a housing boom
30:20after World War II
30:22as US soldiers returned
30:23and world-famous
30:25architects in California
30:26designed a series
30:27of prototypes
30:28for affordable homes
30:29that could be replicated
30:31and rolled out.
30:35Great, can we...
30:36Come on in.
30:37Yeah, I'd love to.
30:38It's just kind of
30:39hinting at an invitation there.
30:45Off the courtyard garden
30:46at the front of the house
30:47is Ruth's office,
30:49which connects
30:50to a long L-shaped kitchen,
30:52living, and dining space
30:53that opens onto
30:54the rear garden,
30:56with a bathroom in the middle
30:57and one of the girls' bedrooms
30:59facing the front yard.
31:02Ruth's added a first floor
31:03to the home that was here.
31:05Up there is a mezzanine
31:06second living room,
31:08with Ruth's room at the back,
31:10a second bathroom in the middle,
31:12and her other daughter's room
31:13at the front.
31:14As you walk in,
31:15the effect is extraordinary.
31:17It's very light in here.
31:23That's partly because of that thing.
31:26That's bringing so much
31:28of the sun into the building.
31:30How do you clean it?
31:31I have a very agile window cleaner.
31:36The Spider-Man.
31:37He is.
31:38So if we assume
31:39that this building
31:40is paying homage
31:41to its case study roots,
31:43the idea of somehow
31:44amplifying light
31:46in the hope
31:46that you could persuade yourself
31:47you're living in California,
31:49was that part of your brief?
31:50It was,
31:51but obviously,
31:52you know,
31:52a case study house
31:53in California
31:53is great for warmth,
31:56Californian warmth,
31:57and Californian sun.
31:58You know,
31:58we had to make that ethos
31:59work for a rainy,
32:01cold London.
32:02You know,
32:02it rains,
32:03it's cold,
32:03it snows sometimes.
32:07Case study houses
32:08relied on the warm LA climate
32:10to heat them.
32:12So they were built
32:13with light materials
32:14and were single glazed.
32:16So Ruth's upgraded her home.
32:19You've more than double glazed,
32:23so you've kind of
32:23upped the performance.
32:24Yeah.
32:25The windows
32:25were the most expensive thing.
32:27You know,
32:28you can have
32:28a Californian aesthetic,
32:30but it's got to function
32:31for London.
32:32Hence,
32:33the thermal insulation,
32:35the triple glazing glass.
32:37You know,
32:37you can have the aesthetic,
32:38but the function of it
32:39has to be right.
32:41Yeah.
32:42Do you need to go on holiday
32:43as much as you used to?
32:45Does this provide...
32:46I can't afford
32:47to go on holiday anymore.
32:49Who needs a holiday
32:53when you've built
32:54the escape already?
32:55The house that gives back
32:57more than any
32:57around the world trip could.
33:00And her children
33:00are the lucky ones here.
33:04Nice staircase, Trixie.
33:06It's really nice.
33:07You don't feel
33:07any kind of bounce
33:08to it whatsoever.
33:10Her daughter,
33:10Trixie's room,
33:12sits right at the top
33:13of the house.
33:14You have this amazing,
33:15wonderful green view,
33:17kind of contrasted
33:18by this bright white.
33:21And then this kind of
33:21cozy space in between.
33:23It's offering a great deal
33:24of experience, the building,
33:25for a very small
33:27amount of building.
33:28Yeah.
33:29I mean, this is a small space,
33:30but it's actually just so lovely
33:32to come and sit here
33:33because you have
33:33all of that going on
33:34and all of that going on
33:36as well.
33:36Trixie was so inspired
33:39by this project
33:40that it prompted her
33:41to take up a career
33:42in design.
33:44I never actually
33:45considered going
33:46into architecture
33:47until this project
33:49came around.
33:49Really?
33:50Yes.
33:51I actually got to do
33:52some work experience
33:53with the architects
33:54and just seeing
33:55how they operated
33:57and being in their office,
34:00I was like,
34:01actually, you know what,
34:02I can do this.
34:04So I think,
34:06well, of course,
34:06I feel at home here,
34:08but mainly I just
34:10feel really inspired.
34:15A house that can inspire
34:16a choice in career
34:18is one extraordinary building.
34:20But I think the secret
34:22to its success
34:22isn't just the building itself,
34:24but the way it makes
34:25the best of what's around it.
34:28It brings in greenery
34:30from everywhere.
34:34You had the extreme luxury here,
34:35the fabulous condition
34:37that these gardens
34:38preexisted.
34:40That's right.
34:41The views,
34:41that tree in that
34:42neighbour's garden preexisted.
34:43Everything's established
34:44and mature,
34:44so you could place
34:45this building
34:46and orientate it,
34:47organise it.
34:48It's very much
34:49a project where
34:50we were organising
34:51the rooms
34:51around the gardens.
34:52The idea of being able
34:53to see nature
34:54from virtually any part
34:55of this house
34:56is a great luxury to have.
34:59Massively so
34:59in dense urban environments,
35:01yeah.
35:03Oh, this is so lush.
35:09I could be in Brazil
35:11or looking at some case study
35:14house in California.
35:17And of course,
35:18the building that was
35:19on this site,
35:21originally it reached
35:22for those ideas.
35:24It wanted to be
35:25an exciting, glamorous home
35:28that was sunshine-filled,
35:29and yet it never
35:30quite got there
35:31thanks to its engineering
35:32and the climate
35:33of the UK.
35:34It got stranded
35:36halfway across the Atlantic.
35:38It took Ruth
35:41and Lawrence
35:42to finally land it here.
35:50We've seen five homes
35:52so far
35:53that take you somewhere
35:54completely magical.
35:58There's one more to go
36:00before we find out
36:00which will earn a place
36:02on the short list.
36:03At some point in life,
36:14most of us reach
36:15a moment when
36:16a colleague
36:17takes us aside
36:18and says,
36:19Kevin,
36:20I think you should
36:20think about retiring,
36:22maybe stepping back
36:23a little,
36:23you know,
36:24letting somebody else in,
36:26slowing the pace.
36:27What happens then?
36:29I mean,
36:30what are you going to do
36:31with all that time?
36:31You know,
36:32where am I going to live?
36:33How am I going to live?
36:35Yeah?
36:36Because retirement,
36:37it should not feel
36:38like the end of something.
36:40Yeah?
36:40You get this?
36:42It ought to feel
36:42like the beginning
36:43of a new career.
36:47And Damien
36:48is going to visit
36:49our last home
36:50on the long list
36:51built for one
36:52such retired couple.
36:54And just to be clear,
36:55I have no intention
36:55of retiring anytime soon,
36:57all right?
36:57Oh, hello.
37:02What a strikingly
37:04beautiful building.
37:08It's called
37:09Ferry House.
37:11The RIBA judges
37:12praise the creativity,
37:14invention,
37:14and skill
37:15involved in creating
37:16this extraordinary shape
37:18for a dramatic
37:19and unique home.
37:21The architect
37:22was Andy Ramis.
37:24How are you doing?
37:25Hi, nice to hear you.
37:27It certainly takes
37:29the breath away
37:29when you see all of this.
37:31Now,
37:32who are you designing
37:33this for?
37:34It was designed
37:34for a couple
37:35and it was basically
37:36their retirement home.
37:37And, you know,
37:38who doesn't dream
37:39of building a home
37:40for their retirement?
37:41If you think about
37:42the way that we normally live,
37:43we're at work all the time.
37:44And this is a home
37:46where they're going
37:47to be spending
37:47a lot of time,
37:48all their time.
37:52Ferry House
37:53is arranged
37:53across two floors
37:55with three distinct wings.
37:56One of the main wings
37:58hosts an impressive
37:59main bedroom
38:00complete with
38:00walk-in wardrobe
38:01and bathroom.
38:03Opposite
38:04is an expansive
38:05open-plan
38:06living kitchen area.
38:07At the rear
38:08of the property
38:08is the smallest wing,
38:10which contains
38:11the utility room
38:12and garage.
38:14Downstairs,
38:15on the lower ground floor,
38:16there are additional
38:17guest rooms
38:18and bathrooms.
38:18You walk into the kitchen
38:24and immediately
38:25consider retirement.
38:27It's calm.
38:28It's crisp.
38:29It's beautiful.
38:30The kind of space
38:31that says,
38:32you've done enough.
38:34Sit down.
38:36Have something lemony.
38:38Oh, Andy,
38:40this is absolutely
38:42breathtaking.
38:44My overriding ambition
38:46was to create
38:47a place
38:47that made you feel
38:48incredibly calm,
38:50that you could feel
38:51really, really at ease,
38:52really, really connected
38:53to nature.
38:54The clients
38:55used to live
38:56in a house
38:57next door on the site,
38:58so had a very strong idea
39:00about what they wanted.
39:02It was all about
39:03views, views, views.
39:04You know,
39:04that was what we were told.
39:06We are literally
39:07walking around with them
39:08and grading the views,
39:10almost like one to ten,
39:12say,
39:12which is your favourite view,
39:13which is your 10 out of 10 view.
39:15Then we're thinking,
39:17okay, well,
39:17that's where we want
39:17to put the lounge.
39:19Where's your next favourite view?
39:21That's where you want
39:21to put the kitchen
39:22and so on and so on
39:24and so on
39:24and that's how the plan
39:25really starts to come together.
39:28It's not just the views
39:29that captivate.
39:31The craftsmanship
39:32is extraordinary.
39:34The timber roof
39:36runs right through the house,
39:37right through all of the rooms
39:39in the bedroom wing.
39:40How do you make that happen?
39:44Not a single one
39:46is out of place.
39:48So number one
39:49is meticulous planning.
39:50So it all has to be drawn
39:51so that everything
39:52is worked out beforehand
39:53and then you need
39:55a very, very skilled trade
39:56to put it together
39:57and someone who's
39:58very tolerant as well
39:59because this is the kind of thing
40:00that could really drive you crazy
40:02if you weren't careful.
40:03Yeah.
40:03And I'm not sure
40:04they were my best friends
40:05actually at the end of it.
40:06Andy sketched the big ideas.
40:13Project architect Laura Locke
40:14had to make them work.
40:17Three wings,
40:18tilting roofs
40:19and angles everywhere.
40:21She had to make it all align.
40:24Think architectural origami
40:26with steel and timber
40:28and no second chances.
40:30The three wings
40:36all angle and fall
40:38to the centre of this building
40:40which brings with it
40:41a number of complexities.
40:44The lining up
40:45of all of the finishes
40:46both internally
40:47and externally
40:48which is not necessarily
40:49a parallel situation
40:51when you've got
40:51so many angles
40:52coming together.
40:54How do you go about
40:55making something
40:55like this happen?
40:56Everyone kind of thinks
40:58oh you know
40:58it's 100% design
40:59but in reality
41:01it's not is it?
41:02It's a certain amount
41:03of design
41:03and a certain amount
41:04of just making it work.
41:06It's quite difficult
41:07and I think communication
41:08with contractors
41:09is really vital
41:10in projects like this.
41:12The work here
41:13was so complicated
41:15that something
41:16got lost in translation.
41:19We initially set it up
41:20with a line of timber
41:22that ran on the underside
41:23of the ridge
41:25and the hit boards
41:26and then ran
41:28all the rafter cladding
41:30into that ridge board alignment.
41:33The architects
41:34weren't happy with that
41:35so we had to take it down.
41:38Rather than connect
41:39the cladding
41:39to a central ridge board
41:41every piece of wood
41:42had to be cut
41:43and angled
41:44so that it met its twin
41:46from the other side
41:47in a razor sharp
41:48seamless joint.
41:53This place is beautiful.
41:55It's the sort of house
41:57that makes you not care
41:58where you left
41:59your passport.
42:01Being here
42:02really does feel like
42:04being on a holiday
42:05with incredible access
42:07to the outdoors
42:08amazing views
42:09and vistas
42:10in every direction
42:11even a place
42:13to sun yourself.
42:15And all of this
42:16is contained
42:17within a house
42:18that has been
42:19beautifully designed
42:21and detailed
42:22by the architect.
42:38We've explored
42:39six remarkable homes
42:41so far
42:42but which will earn
42:43their place
42:44on the coveted shortlist.
42:45In the running
42:47are
42:48the bold
42:49and beautiful
42:50triangle house
42:51with a whisper
42:52of the Caribbean.
42:54The restrained
42:55and elegant
42:55Niwa house
42:56a home shaped
42:57by Japanese
42:58design principles
42:59and tranquility.
43:01The Californian
43:02courtyard house
43:03bright
43:04breezy
43:05and designed
43:05for soaking up
43:06the sun.
43:08Sea Sky House
43:10a coastal retreat
43:11where every day
43:12feels like a holiday.
43:13catching sun house
43:16a house that
43:17basks in light
43:18from morning
43:18till night.
43:20And fairy house
43:21proving that
43:22retirement can be
43:23anything but retiring.
43:27Joining me
43:28is one of the judges
43:29Livia Wang.
43:32How many houses
43:33have you shortlisted
43:33from 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
43:43about that house
43:44that caught
43:45your imagination?
43:46It's colourful.
43:47It's inventive.
43:49So all the blue
43:50block work
43:50did two cuts on it.
43:52They all came
43:52on an angle
43:52so they had
43:53this really nice
43:54blue stone columns.
43:55It's pointing
43:56to adventure,
43:57isn't it?
43:57It's saying,
43:58come with me
43:58and I'm going to
43:58take you by the hand
44:00and lead you
44:00on an exciting
44:02journey through
44:02this place.
44:03Yeah, absolutely.
44:05Oh, that's amazing.
44:05Wow, that's really
44:07good news.
44:07I mean, it's great
44:09because it's also
44:10one of our first
44:11projects.
44:11We only started
44:13our practice
44:13about four years
44:14ago and building
44:15takes a long time.
44:17So Triangle House
44:19joins the shortest
44:20alongside Kirk and
44:21the Craig
44:21and Hastings House.
44:24There are four
44:25more places
44:26up for grabs
44:27before we find
44:27out which
44:28is crowned
44:29the 2025
44:30RIBA
44:31House of the Year.
44:35Adversity
44:35isn't an essential
44:37quality
44:38in great buildings
44:40but when it happens
44:41it actually often
44:41deepens the rewards.
44:44I mean,
44:44homes
44:45which have
44:46difficult births
44:47shaped by
44:48struggle
44:49and perseverance
44:50where every decision
44:51has been
44:51hard won.
44:53When that
44:54long journey
44:55ends
44:56in a place
44:57of escape
44:58or in a building
44:58that lifts you
44:59from the everyday
45:00and takes you
45:01on holiday
45:02for example
45:03then the result
45:04is all the sweeter.
45:06It's that
45:07Teddy Roosevelt quote
45:08you know,
45:08I have never
45:09in my life
45:10envied a human being
45:11who led an easy life
45:13but I have
45:14envied many people
45:15who led
45:16difficult lives
45:17but led
45:17them well.
45:22Next time
45:23we'll explore houses
45:24that celebrate
45:25their use of
45:26craftsmanship.
45:27They're on
45:28spring-loaded
45:28pivots.
45:28Oh wow,
45:30that's so elegant.
45:31Six more homes
45:32that draw you
45:33inside.
45:34This door,
45:35this is brass
45:35isn't it?
45:35Yes.
45:36It makes it
45:36a very impressive
45:37entrance.
45:38And inspire
45:39wonder.
45:40Oh wow,
45:41look at this.
45:41The timber frame
45:42is the star
45:43of the show.
46:00Bye-bye.
46:00Bye-bye.
46:17Bye-bye.
46:17Bye-bye.
46:18Bye-bye.
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