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Grand Designs House of the Year S08 E02 2025
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00:00Hmm, not bad. It's not bad. I mean, I like the spatial arrangement, play of light and all that, but you don't need the bifold doors, okay?
00:11What 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?
00:19Maybe next year. However, this lot are good to go.
00:24Yes, it's that time again when Britain's boldest new homes step into the spotlight, while the rest of us wonder if we've chosen the wrong shade of greyish.
00:38Dear Santa, could I please have a house like this yours, Kevin?
00:48The judges have chosen a long list of Britain's most remarkable new buildings.
00:53Fantastic view. I mean, that could be the Mediterranean there.
00:58From houses that squeeze into the tightest of corners.
01:01You had to get everything past that drainpipe.
01:04It was like building a ship in a bottle.
01:07To bungalows that feel like basilicas.
01:10Oh my lord, this is the first bungalow I've ever seen that has a sort of ecclesiastical corridor.
01:16The houses we explore will be whittled down to a short list of just seven.
01:20The range on offer is really, really exciting.
01:23I think it'll be really exciting to see the house that wins and shines through.
01:27Before we find out in the final programme, which one is the House of the Year 2025?
01:35So, come and get some tips as we show you the next set of nominees.
01:40And by the way, those big green ceramic bowls that look like cabbages.
01:44I mean, they're just weird.
01:49So far, two homes have claimed their place on the short list.
02:11Kirk and the Crake, a jewel set deep in the Isle of Harris.
02:17And Hastings House, a triumph of engineering and elegance.
02:24Now, there are six more buildings to explore.
02:28Oh, well, that's good.
02:33You know the feeling.
02:35It's when you arrive and exhale, and it might be the smell of the salt air, or it could be a reflection on a polished floor, or just that somebody else is doing the washing up.
02:45But whatever it is, you know you are on holiday.
02:48Well, what if that feeling wasn't restricted to two weeks in August?
02:53Well, what if your home, the place where you live, could make you feel like that every day?
03:00This week, we are escaping to houses that do just that, that pick you up and drop you somewhere utterly magical.
03:08Of course, they offer the delight of great design, but they also promise escape.
03:20Snooping around these homes with me this time is the architect Damien Burrows.
03:25It's a certain amount of design and a certain amount of just making it work.
03:29Now, I'm off to visit our first long-listed house in North London, where, tucked into these tightly packed city streets, is a piece of remarkably clever design.
03:49This is Catching Sun House.
03:52Hend in on all sides.
03:54It's been shaped to drink in daylight from morning till dusk.
03:57Step inside, and you're somewhere else entirely.
04:03The architect and owner is Mark Shaw.
04:07Hello.
04:08Hi.
04:08Hey, Mark.
04:09Hello. How are you?
04:10Yeah, I'm really well. How are you?
04:12I'm very well. Thanks for coming.
04:13This is a lovely, lovely place to arrive at.
04:16I've just come off this very British street into something that is from the other side of the planet.
04:20It's like something from Asia or Australia.
04:23That is the most common response, and that's what I was trying to do, actually.
04:27To have that escape from life, and, you know, I'd spent, I don't know, 16 years living in a Victorian terraced house, which faced north and west, and there was never any light in the house.
04:39So I wanted to have as much light as possible in here.
04:47Mark designed the house around the movement of the sun over the plot, so he could bring light into every room.
04:54On the ground floor, there's a kitchen, dining, living space, a bathroom, two bedrooms, and then above, a study.
05:01The RIBA judges praised the ingenuity of the architect in creating an unexpected and serene home.
05:12I love the fair-faced blockwork walls, the smooth, polished concrete floor.
05:20But this is a new one.
05:23What is that?
05:24So I hate kitchen extractors, and I had a brainwave where I remembered when I was at college and I used to do welding.
05:31Yeah.
05:32So this...
05:33You put one in.
05:33This is a welding extractor which you can pull down, you can have a big piece of meat on here, and all the fumes just get extracted out.
05:40Amazing.
05:41It's like one of those kind of things at the dentist where you have, you know, they do an X-ray.
05:44They all leave the room.
05:45That's what I want to do when you switch that on.
05:47How noisy is it?
05:48Uh, I can switch it on.
05:50It's not that noisy.
05:52No?
05:52Need a bit of paper.
05:54I've got a handkerchief.
05:55Um...
05:55Hang on a minute.
05:56It's clean.
05:56Okay, so let's just find out.
06:01Yes!
06:02Most of them are bright yellow and really ugly.
06:05Yeah.
06:05Eventually found this one is from Poland, and it's dim steel.
06:10So I FedExed it over from Poland.
06:13Tracking down an industrial welding extractor in Poland, that was the easy bit.
06:21But getting permission to build the house at all meant negotiating with the neighbours, a task as appealing as diffusing a bomb while wearing a blindfold.
06:29And it was Emma Hugh, the project architect, who got handed the wire cutters.
06:34So with this kind of site, probably the biggest challenge was the fact that there's 27 neighbouring properties around it,
06:41and we needed to get agreement with those 27 neighbours that we could access their gardens to be able to build the building
06:49and replace the wall that was at the end of their gardens.
06:52So that was a complicated process that took quite a bit of time.
06:5727 neighbours, five months of garden diplomacy, a legal jigsaw of party walls and permissions.
07:08But back inside, all that hassle evaporates.
07:13The master bedroom is calm and elegant, with a view that feels almost Mediterranean.
07:20Lovely room with a beautiful, again, lifted ceiling, so you get that.
07:25Beautiful view of the sky.
07:26Fantastic view.
07:28Sky, greenery.
07:31But this, this is, so you've got a shower in the bedroom, no you haven't got a shower in the bedroom, you've got a, that's the bedroom, this is the shower, this is in the outside world.
07:38Yeah.
07:39Right, I'm with you.
07:42Where did this idea come from?
07:45I was on holiday in Thailand and was staying in the sort of typical Thai sort of bungalow and the bathroom, it was just out the back,
07:53where there was just a sort of pipe coming out of the wall and no shower tray and it was surrounded by, like, really amazing tropical plants.
08:03And I just thought, how can I transport this magical feeling to...
08:07But you've done it here, haven't you?
08:08...east London.
08:08And in a dense part of the city, plots like this are tight, so Mark's made every inch count.
08:21This pigeon-step staircase is allowed just because it only leads to a single room above.
08:28It's clever, compact and just wide enough if you breathe in.
08:32So you might be thinking, as I am in this moment, two or three questions, how do I navigate a staircase like that?
08:41Does it meet building breaks?
08:43It does.
08:45And what happens when I'm drunk?
08:49But I'm not.
08:50I'm sober, lithe as a mountain goat, and...
08:55I am blown away by this.
08:57It's a study with a view, like none I've seen in a built-up urban area.
09:06How can your soul not be touched by that?
09:11Which was once a disused M.O.T. garage.
09:16That's the magic.
09:18It's not so much of architecture, but of the architectural mind.
09:21These are people, like Mark, who can turn scraps into things of beauty.
09:29Who can see the potential of something where no-one else can see it.
09:34Who can take things which are free, like the sun and the wind and the rain,
09:40and from them craft experiences which are priceless.
09:45We've seen one house so far.
09:53Five more to go before we find out who will be shortlisted for the House of the Year 2025.
09:58Designing your way to paradise sounds appealing,
10:13but it's a fine line between escapism and theme park.
10:17I mean, one minute you're painting a wall coral pink,
10:19the next minute there's a flamingo in the loo
10:21and a pineapple-shaped lamp, judging your life choices.
10:24Anyway, this next house doesn't mess about with props.
10:29It builds its fantasy properly,
10:31with geometry and conviction and a cocktail of its own.
10:34One part drama, one part delight, shaken, not stirred.
10:39Mmm.
10:41Oh.
10:42That tastes like regret.
10:46I'm in Surrey to visit our next longlister.
10:50This is Triangle House,
10:53a mid-century home which has had a Caribbean-inspired reworking.
10:59The RIBA judges praise the playful and inventive use of materials,
11:04colour and form that propel it into something exceptional.
11:08Inside, there's a double-height hallway
11:17that connects the living room, TV room and storage space of the original house.
11:23There's a long kitchen diner split by brick petitions
11:27with a larder at the front and doors to the garden.
11:30Upstairs, there are three bedrooms connected by a bridge and a bathroom.
11:35It was designed by architects Benedetta Rogers and Daniel Marmot.
11:41Benedetta, how are you?
11:42Hi, nice to meet you. Welcome.
11:44Nice to meet you.
11:46Where did this overhanging canopy and V-shaped structure come from?
11:50We added this quite colourful canopy and column
11:53which sort of wanted to show that something slightly different was happening beyond.
11:57Looking at the house, it's got a really strong identity.
12:00The client gave us this book called Caribbean Style,
12:03which is an amazing reference book of kind of different colours and atmospheres
12:07in traditional Caribbean houses and some more modern ones.
12:10And they really wanted to bring some of that flavour through into this house.
12:14So we really wanted this feeling of a house that's transportative
12:17when you step through the front door.
12:20And when you step into the kitchen, it doesn't disappoint.
12:24This just makes you happy, doesn't it?
12:29Yeah, I mean, the yellow was like a really important colour for the client.
12:33They really love this idea of it feeling like a really sunny, optimistic interior.
12:38But it's not just the colour that lifts you.
12:41It's the way the house opens up.
12:43There are no corridors, no rigid plan,
12:46just a gentle sequence of spaces,
12:48each one giving you a glimpse of the next.
12:52The client at the beginning,
12:54they were quite clear they didn't want it to be open plan.
12:57But we've created something which feels like overall space,
13:01but it's also got very distinct qualities.
13:05And yet the result still feels expansive and open.
13:10In Caribbean homes,
13:11open layouts are often used to keep heat from building up.
13:15Here, they're used for a different reason.
13:19Every time you have a doorway,
13:20you have to buy the door,
13:21you have to pay for the hinges,
13:22you have to install it,
13:23you have to paint it,
13:24you have to line it.
13:25So doing away with doorways
13:27was a way of both taking the cost out of the project,
13:29but also creating this spatial experience.
13:31Wow.
13:31And when you take that
13:33and then multiply it by 10, 20,
13:36these are significant savings.
13:38And we call this an envelope of spaces,
13:40almost like you might get in an art gallery
13:41where you walk from one room into another,
13:43into another,
13:44but you always get views from one room to the next.
13:47So, for example,
13:48if you're in the kitchen cooking,
13:49you get a glimpse of the dining hall,
13:50but you don't feel like the kitchen
13:51and the dining hall are all open plan.
13:53So it's kind of somewhere between open plan living
13:56and a series of isolated rooms.
13:59Step out into the garden
14:01and you really couldn't feel further away
14:04from suburban Surrey outside.
14:06This is the space, isn't it?
14:07This is what it's all about.
14:09It's about being out here.
14:10This relationship with the garden,
14:12and it's just magical.
14:14Yeah, it's funny.
14:14The clients call this space Club Tropicana
14:16because it does feel like it's quite unusual in this setting.
14:20So you've got these kind of big banana palms
14:22and all the really lush planting
14:23make it feel like you're not in the UK.
14:25The careful use of colour inside continues outdoors,
14:31where the blocks making up the triangular columns
14:33aren't quite the familiar grey.
14:36They're a very subtle shade of blue.
14:39And all of those colours from inside,
14:42those bright, vibrant colours,
14:43they're pulled through into here,
14:45but then just slightly notched down a tone
14:48to this wonderful kind of aqua blue.
14:52Well, it's funny that you say wonderful
14:53because these have actually never been specified
14:55before this house.
14:56They were so unpopular when the company launched them
14:58that we showed them to the client
15:00and they really loved them.
15:02So we asked for some.
15:03They said, actually,
15:03well, we're not really producing them anymore.
15:05They've been discontinued.
15:06They're so unpopular.
15:07But we managed to find a dusty pallet
15:09in the corner of their factory
15:10that was left over.
15:12So we took that and brought it to site
15:13and then the builder really skillfully
15:15cut them into these triangular columns.
15:16They didn't throw money at it.
15:22Instead, they found value in the overlooked,
15:25the dusty and forgotten,
15:27allowing them to focus on what's really important.
15:31By stripping out expensive finishes
15:33and complex detailing,
15:35they've allowed this house to truly sing,
15:39which means that every single day
15:41it transports you to a tropical paradise.
15:46architecture can do many things.
15:54It can shelter you.
15:55It can cuddle and exalt you.
15:58It can impress your neighbours.
16:00It can even drain your bank account.
16:01And sometimes it can do all of these things
16:03at the same time.
16:05But the best architecture
16:08messes with your sense of place.
16:11It can transport you.
16:13So you walk into your front door
16:15in, I don't know, Splott,
16:17which is in Cardiff,
16:18and suddenly you are taken
16:21to a completely different place.
16:25Our next house in the running
16:27for a place on the shortlist
16:28is in South London
16:29and was commissioned by a young couple,
16:32Iroki and Rachel.
16:33A few weeks after Rachel and I got married,
16:37I was cycling through Regent's Park
16:39and hit a car.
16:42So it was my fault.
16:44And, yeah,
16:45we got rushed to A&E
16:49at St Mary's Hospital.
16:51Four or five hours later
16:52and I saw you in hospital
16:53and you were laying in the bed
16:55and they told us
16:57who he was never going to walk again.
17:02Out of this life-changing event
17:05emerged an idea
17:06for something extraordinary.
17:08We started to think
17:09maybe we should think about building.
17:11And then we had
17:11a very, like, actionable reason
17:14that we needed to do this.
17:20This is Niwa House,
17:23formerly a derelict infill site,
17:26given new life.
17:28The RIBA judges praised
17:30this hidden gem
17:32as a secluded oasis
17:33that allows escape
17:35from the noise of the city.
17:36In this intricate home,
17:40there's a study
17:40that looks out onto the garden.
17:43A living room
17:43which connects to a dining room,
17:45kitchen and utility room.
17:47In the basement
17:48is a main bedroom
17:50with an accessible wardrobe.
17:52A bathroom,
17:53two further bedrooms
17:54and a cinema and gym.
17:59Hiroki was born in Japan,
18:01which has been a powerful driver
18:03for some of the design.
18:04We've definitely been influenced
18:07through a lot of the principles
18:08that we think
18:09represents Japanese culture.
18:11We always knew
18:12that that was something
18:12that, you know,
18:13we connected with.
18:17The architecture
18:19is based on a traditional
18:20Japanese summer pavilion
18:21or azumaya.
18:23There is an engawa,
18:25a covered Japanese porch
18:26that runs around the house.
18:29The forest of columns inside
18:31is taken from
18:32traditional Japanese temples.
18:34architectural architecture.
18:35There are subtle nods
18:37to Japanese design
18:38throughout.
18:41It's like when you go to Japan
18:42and you go to the temples
18:43and all of the doors
18:45slide to one side
18:46when you open them.
18:47And then very similarly here,
18:48if you slide all the windows open,
18:49you're out onto the garden.
18:54Walls that discreetly melt away
18:56and consistent floor levels
18:58aren't just good accessible design,
19:00they're good design.
19:05I don't think you come in
19:06and go,
19:06oh, this is a wheelchair accessible house.
19:08There are obviously, like,
19:10individual smaller things
19:11where, you know,
19:12there's grab rails
19:13in the bathroom
19:14and things like that.
19:15And even there,
19:16we've tried to do it
19:17in a way that makes it
19:18a bit more muted
19:19than in your face,
19:21more through the choice
19:22of materials
19:23and things like that.
19:24I'd say 90%
19:26of the accessibility
19:27is not specifically
19:28making it accessible
19:29but factoring it in
19:31as you design a house.
19:35Architecturally,
19:36it was very important
19:37that it doesn't feel
19:38like it was designed
19:39by guidelines
19:40and, you know,
19:41design codes
19:42for accessibility.
19:44So we discussed a lot
19:45about how the house
19:47needed to be uncluttered,
19:49open,
19:50very kind of generous.
19:52So there's plenty
19:53of open-planned space
19:55with generous wide corridors
19:56and an easy transition
19:58between ground floor
19:59to basement
19:59in a lift.
20:02Below,
20:02Hiroki and Rachel
20:03can train in the gym
20:05or watch a film
20:05with their kids.
20:07One of their proudest spaces,
20:09though,
20:09is the garden.
20:12Niwa means garden
20:14in Japanese.
20:15Having a home
20:16where from every angle
20:17you can see something
20:18of nature
20:19I think makes
20:20a big difference.
20:20The ambition here
20:23was not to frame
20:24a view of the garden.
20:26It was to live
20:27in it.
20:28It almost feels
20:29more like
20:30a house
20:31that's in
20:31a walled garden
20:32than
20:33a house
20:34with, like,
20:35a garden attached to it.
20:36This house
20:44is connected
20:45to nature
20:45everywhere
20:46through large openings
20:47and long views
20:49which make
20:49all the difference.
20:50we really, really love
20:54it here.
20:55Even when you've got
20:56this chaos around you
20:57with kids
20:58and, you know,
20:58you still have
20:59these moments
21:00of relaxation
21:01and peace
21:02and tranquility.
21:04It enables me
21:05to live much more
21:06freely as well
21:07and I think
21:08that says a lot
21:09for, you know,
21:10what they did
21:10designing this house.
21:11So far,
21:18we've seen
21:18three houses
21:19that take you
21:20on holiday
21:21but there are
21:22three more
21:23to explore
21:23before we find out
21:25which will be
21:26shortlisted
21:26for the 2025
21:27House of the Year Award.
21:29Oh, to be beside
21:40the seaside, eh?
21:42Thing is,
21:43many of us
21:44do harbour
21:45some dream
21:47to recreate
21:48those childhood holidays.
21:51Up sticks,
21:52relocate to the coast,
21:53all in the pursuit
21:54of this idea
21:56of creating
21:57the perfect
21:59permanent vacation,
22:00right?
22:01Except it's not
22:01like that
22:02because the realities
22:04of the everyday,
22:05pressures of work,
22:06money worries,
22:07they soon find out
22:08where we live
22:09and, yes,
22:10before long
22:11they've moved in as well.
22:13However,
22:13this next family,
22:14I think,
22:15may have cracked
22:16that problem.
22:18What's that?
22:20Oh, I've gone
22:21overdrawn again!
22:27Our next home
22:28vying for a place
22:29on the House of the Year
22:30shortlist
22:31is on the glorious
22:32Kent coast.
22:34This is Sea Sky House,
22:36a big, beautiful
22:37beach hut of a home,
22:39but one mercifully
22:40lacking in seaside
22:41cliché.
22:43Not an anchor
22:43or porthole in sight.
22:45No,
22:46this is an elegant
22:47Scandi coastal home,
22:49minimal,
22:50clean,
22:50full of natural materials
22:52with an enveloping
22:53sense of cosiness.
22:55Its architects
22:55and owners
22:56are David and Sophie.
23:01We were in London
23:02in Hackney.
23:03We were expecting
23:04our second child
23:05and decided
23:07that we wanted
23:08to escape the city.
23:11We came down
23:12on a Sunday
23:13and the sailing fleet
23:14was going out
23:15and we got some
23:16fish and chips
23:16on the beach
23:17and we were sold.
23:22The plot
23:23was expensive
23:24and by themselves
23:25they couldn't afford it
23:27so they devised
23:28a cunning plan.
23:31It came up
23:32at just the right moment
23:33when it was possible
23:34for us to buy the site
23:35together with two
23:36other families.
23:37It's a really fun thing
23:38to do with friends.
23:39One of the families
23:43building next to them
23:44were Tim and Katie.
23:47We were invited
23:49to kind of come in
23:49on the project.
23:50We didn't really hesitate.
23:51We were like,
23:51yep, we'll sell our house.
23:52You were at the pub,
23:53weren't you?
23:53And you phoned me
23:53and said,
23:54how about this?
23:55Yep.
23:56I literally sent him
23:56a link and said,
23:58shall we sell our house
23:59and do this?
24:00And Tim said,
24:00yes.
24:01And the kids were small
24:02so that idea
24:03of having this community
24:04and a space
24:05where they can kind of
24:06play and be together
24:07and safe
24:08because I don't think
24:09kids play out
24:09the same way anymore.
24:17To make the most
24:19of the view,
24:20David and Sophie
24:21flipped the layout
24:22of their house.
24:23This is an upside-down home,
24:26so the sleeping area
24:27is at the bottom
24:28and the living area
24:30on the top.
24:31On the ground floor,
24:33there are four bedrooms
24:34and a family bathroom.
24:37Then,
24:38on the first floor,
24:39there's an open plan
24:40living, dining
24:41and kitchen area
24:42and a roof terrace
24:44looking out
24:45to majestic views
24:46over the sea.
24:51Organising the floors
24:52this way
24:52meant there were
24:53some important things
24:54to consider.
24:56Building the house
24:57upside down
24:57means that you have
24:58to have a slightly
24:59different kind of hallway
25:00because the living rooms
25:01are upstairs.
25:02You want to have
25:03some way of receiving
25:04people on the ground floor
25:05and having a little bit
25:05of space to say hello
25:06and have a chat
25:07before you actually
25:07head upstairs.
25:10And you head upstairs
25:12expecting a sensible,
25:13well-behaved kitchen.
25:15What you get
25:15is far more interesting.
25:18There's a light
25:19used in Marrakesh Airport
25:21hanging over the table,
25:22an open hearth fireplace
25:24perched on a lumb
25:26of church wall
25:27and doors
25:28that belonged
25:29to a public building
25:30in the 1930s.
25:31The RIBA judges
25:36called it
25:36surprisingly eclectic
25:38and entertaining,
25:40which is code
25:41for someone
25:42enjoyed themselves
25:43doing this.
25:45We reclaimed
25:46a load of science
25:47lab tables
25:48and we tried
25:49to use every square
25:50inch of them.
25:52So sills,
25:53thresholds,
25:54baths around,
25:56steps are all
25:57made from them.
25:58And I love the fact
25:59that they've got
25:59old pen drawings
26:01from the 60s
26:02or something,
26:03some of them
26:04slightly inappropriate.
26:06What's really
26:06extraordinary
26:07is that they didn't
26:09get the objects
26:09to fit the house
26:10they designed.
26:12In some places,
26:13they designed
26:14the house
26:14around the object.
26:16With the doors,
26:17for example,
26:18we bought them
26:18months before
26:19we finished
26:20designing the house.
26:21So we actually
26:22designed all
26:22of the corridors
26:23and the bedrooms
26:23and the scale
26:24of the spaces
26:24downstairs to suit
26:25the doors
26:25rather than
26:26the other way around,
26:26which is completely
26:27different to how
26:28we normally do that.
26:29It's so high
26:30on the ground floor
26:32so it's designed
26:33around the doors.
26:37So yes,
26:38the ceilings
26:39are tall
26:39but only because
26:40the doors said so.
26:42But amid
26:43all the whimsy
26:44and architectural
26:45mischief,
26:46Sophie and David
26:47have carved out
26:48something surprisingly
26:49grown up,
26:51a fully soundproofed
26:52workspace.
26:53It was important
26:54for us to have
26:54a space where
26:55we could do
26:56video calls.
26:56And obviously
26:58it's amazing
26:59during lunchtime.
27:00You can just
27:01walk down to the beach
27:02within two minutes,
27:03which is a nice way
27:05to break up the day.
27:07It's the lunchtime
27:09reset I like.
27:11No doom scrolling,
27:13no sad sandwich,
27:14just a walk to the beach
27:16and sand in your socks
27:18before the 2pm zoom.
27:21Evenings here
27:22aren't scheduled,
27:23they just unfold.
27:25A view,
27:26a sunset,
27:27someone mixing drinks
27:29and suddenly
27:29the day's taking a turn
27:31for the blissful.
27:33It's like a nice sea
27:35with a view,
27:36with a sunset,
27:38everything.
27:39With my dad
27:39making cocktails,
27:41yes,
27:42and nice suppers
27:44and stuff like that.
27:46It's definitely
27:46like a holiday.
27:47It's like a holiday.
27:53Houses which are built
28:04in impossibly sunny climates
28:06like California,
28:08for example,
28:09obviously they give you
28:10the sensation
28:10of being on holiday
28:11every single day
28:12of the year.
28:13What with their
28:14sun-soaked walls of glass
28:16and their flat roofs
28:17serving as sun decks
28:19and their inside-outside
28:20swimming pools
28:20and their ridiculous
28:21cantilevers.
28:23The question really
28:23is, of course,
28:24can you reproduce
28:25that kind of architecture
28:27and the sensations
28:28it produces
28:29under the grey skies
28:32of London?
28:34Well, our next house
28:35tried to do just that,
28:37failed,
28:39and then succeeded.
28:40This is South London.
28:46I used to live
28:47very briefly,
28:48not far from here,
28:49and I'm so pleased
28:50to see nothing much
28:51has changed.
28:52Oh,
28:53except for this.
28:56This is not a garage.
29:01No,
29:02this is Courtyard House,
29:04a California-inspired home
29:07with glass walls,
29:09lush outdoor planting,
29:11and space to imagine
29:12yourself in sunnier climes.
29:18Hello.
29:19Hello,
29:19nice to meet you.
29:20I knew that came
29:21to the right place.
29:22The owner is a brand consultant,
29:24Ruth,
29:25who lives here
29:26with her two daughters.
29:27She originally came
29:28from this part of London
29:30and decided to move back.
29:32I kind of knew
29:34this house already
29:35because I knew the area
29:36and I'd always spotted
29:37this black fence
29:38with the orange door
29:39and I always wondered
29:41what was behind it.
29:42So when it popped up
29:43for sale,
29:44it was quite interesting
29:45to see what actually
29:46was behind it.
29:48This was here
29:49from the 70s,
29:50this house?
29:50It was.
29:51So an architect
29:52bought the plot of land
29:54where a garage was
29:56and some of the garden
29:57at the back
29:58and built a single-storey house
30:00for him to live in.
30:02Back in 1979.
30:04The house was built
30:05on a sort of
30:06Californian aesthetic.
30:08So it was very light.
30:09It had lots of glass.
30:11Yeah.
30:11But the glass
30:12was all single-glaze.
30:13It was floor to ceiling.
30:15It was a Californian-style house
30:18built as a homage
30:19to the American
30:20case-study houses
30:21built between the 1940s
30:22and 60s.
30:24There was a housing boom
30:25after World War II
30:27as US soldiers returned
30:28and world-famous architects
30:30in California
30:31designed a series
30:32of prototypes
30:33for affordable homes
30:34that could be replicated
30:36and rolled out.
30:40Great.
30:41Can we...
30:41Come on in.
30:42Yeah, I'd love to.
30:43It's just kind of
30:44hinting at an invitation there.
30:46Off the courtyard garden
30:51at the front of the house
30:52is Ruth's office
30:53which connects
30:55to a long
30:55L-shaped kitchen,
30:57living and dining space
30:58that opens onto
30:59the rear garden
31:00with a bathroom
31:01in the middle
31:02and one of the girl's bedrooms
31:03facing the front yard.
31:06Ruth's added
31:07a first floor
31:08to the home
31:09that was here.
31:10Up there
31:11is a mezzanine
31:11second living room
31:13with Ruth's room
31:14at the back,
31:15a second bathroom
31:16in the middle
31:16and her other daughter's
31:18room at the front.
31:19As you walk in,
31:21the effect is extraordinary.
31:24Wow!
31:26It's very light in here.
31:28That's partly
31:29because of that thing.
31:31That's bringing so much
31:33of the sun
31:33into the building.
31:35How'd you clean it?
31:36I have a very
31:37agile window cleaner.
31:41That's Spider-Man.
31:42He is.
31:43So if we assume
31:44that this building
31:45is paying homage
31:46to its case study roots,
31:48the idea of somehow
31:49amplifying light
31:50and the hope
31:51that you could persuade yourself
31:52you're living in California,
31:54was that part of your brief?
31:55It was,
31:56but obviously,
31:57you know,
31:57a case study house
31:58in California
31:58is great for warmth,
32:01Californian warmth
32:02and Californian sun.
32:03You know,
32:03we had to make
32:04that ethos work
32:05for a rainy, cold London.
32:06You know,
32:07it rains,
32:08it's cold,
32:08it snows sometimes.
32:12Case study houses
32:13relied on the warm
32:15LA climate
32:15to heat them.
32:17So they were built
32:18with light materials
32:19and were single glazed.
32:21So Ruth's
32:22upgraded her home.
32:26You've more than
32:27double glazed,
32:28so you've kind of
32:28upped the performance.
32:29Yeah.
32:30The windows
32:30were the most expensive.
32:32You know,
32:33you can have
32:33a Californian aesthetic.
32:34It's got to function
32:36for London.
32:37Hence,
32:38the thermal insulation,
32:40the triple glazing glass.
32:42You know,
32:42you can have the aesthetic,
32:43but the function of it
32:44has to be right.
32:46Yeah.
32:47Do you need to go on holiday
32:48as much as you used to?
32:50Does this provide...
32:51I can't afford
32:52to go on holiday anymore.
32:56Who needs a holiday
32:57when you've built
32:59the escape already?
33:00The house that gives back
33:02more than any
33:02around the world
33:03trip could.
33:05And her children
33:05are the lucky ones here.
33:08Oh.
33:09Nice staircase, Trixie.
33:11It's really nice.
33:12You don't feel
33:12any kind of bounce
33:13to it whatsoever.
33:14Her daughter,
33:15Trixie's room,
33:16sits right at the top
33:18of the house.
33:19You have this amazing,
33:20wonderful green view,
33:22kind of contrasted
33:23by this bright white.
33:24and then this kind
33:26of cozy space
33:27in between.
33:28It's offering
33:29a great deal
33:29of experience,
33:30the building,
33:30for a very small
33:31amount of building.
33:33Yeah.
33:34I mean,
33:34this is a small space,
33:35but it's actually
33:36just so lovely
33:37to come and sit here
33:38because you have
33:38all of that going on
33:39and all of that
33:40going on as well.
33:42Trixie was so inspired
33:44by this project
33:45that it prompted her
33:46to take up
33:47a career in design.
33:49They never actually
33:50considered going
33:51into architecture
33:52until this project
33:54came around.
33:54Really?
33:55Yes.
33:56I actually got to do
33:57some work experience
33:58with the architects
33:59and just seeing
34:00how they operated
34:02and being in their office,
34:05I was like,
34:06actually,
34:06you know what,
34:07I can do this.
34:09So I think,
34:11well,
34:11of course,
34:11I feel at home here,
34:13but mainly I just
34:15feel really inspired.
34:19A house that can inspire
34:21a choice in career
34:23is one extraordinary building.
34:25But I think the secret
34:27to its success
34:27isn't just the building itself,
34:29but the way it makes
34:30the best of what's around it.
34:33It brings in greenery
34:35from everywhere.
34:39You had the extreme luxury here,
34:40the fabulous condition
34:42that these gardens preexisted.
34:45That's right.
34:46The views,
34:46that tree in that
34:47neighbor's garden preexisted.
34:48Everything's established
34:49and mature,
34:49so you could place
34:50this building
34:51and orientate it,
34:52organize it.
34:53It's very much a project
34:54where we were organizing
34:55the rooms
34:56around the gardens.
34:57The idea of being able
34:58to see nature
34:59from virtually any part
35:00of this house
35:01is a great luxury to have.
35:03Mm.
35:03Massively so,
35:04in dense urban environments,
35:06yeah.
35:06Oh, this is so lush.
35:14I could be in Brazil
35:16or looking at some case study
35:19house in California.
35:20And, of course,
35:23the building that was
35:24on this site,
35:26originally it reached
35:27for those ideas.
35:29It wanted to be
35:30an exciting, glamorous home
35:33that was sunshine-filled,
35:35and yet it never quite got there
35:36thanks to its engineering
35:37and the climate of the UK.
35:39It got stranded
35:41halfway across the Atlantic.
35:44It took Ruth and Lawrence
35:47to finally land it here.
35:49We've seen five homes so far
35:58that take you somewhere
35:59completely magical.
36:03There's one more to go
36:04before we find out
36:05which will earn a place
36:07on the short list.
36:17At some point in life,
36:19most of us reach
36:20a moment when
36:21a colleague
36:22takes us aside
36:23and says,
36:24Kevin,
36:24I think you should
36:25think about retiring,
36:27maybe stepping back
36:28a little,
36:28you know,
36:28letting somebody else in,
36:31slowing the pace.
36:32What happens then?
36:34I mean,
36:34what are you going to do
36:35with all that time?
36:36You know,
36:37where am I going to live?
36:38How am I going to live?
36:40Yeah?
36:41Because retirement,
36:42it should not feel
36:43like the end
36:44of something.
36:45Yeah?
36:45You get this?
36:47It ought to feel
36:47like the beginning
36:48of a new career.
36:52And Damien
36:53is going to visit
36:54our last home
36:55on the long list
36:56built for one
36:57such retired couple.
36:59And just to be clear,
37:00I have no intention
37:00of retiring anytime soon,
37:02all right?
37:02Oh, hello.
37:07What a strikingly
37:09beautiful building.
37:13It's called Ferry House.
37:15The RIBA judges
37:17praised the creativity,
37:19invention,
37:19and skill involved
37:20in creating
37:21this extraordinary shape
37:23for a dramatic
37:24and unique home.
37:26The architect
37:27was Andy Ramis.
37:29How are you doing?
37:30Hi, nice to hear you.
37:32It certainly takes
37:34the breath away
37:34when you see all of this.
37:36Now,
37:37who are you designing
37:37this for?
37:39It was designed
37:39for a couple
37:40and it was basically
37:41their retirement home.
37:42And, you know,
37:43who doesn't dream
37:44of building a home
37:45for their retirement?
37:46If you think about
37:47the way that we normally live,
37:48we're at work all the time.
37:49And this is a home
37:51where they're going
37:51to be spending
37:52a lot of time,
37:53all their time.
37:57Ferry House
37:58is arranged
37:58across two floors
37:59with three distinct wings.
38:01One of the main wings
38:03hosts an impressive
38:04main bedroom
38:05complete with
38:05walk-in wardrobe
38:06and bathroom.
38:08Opposite
38:09is an expansive
38:10open-plan
38:11living kitchen area.
38:12At the rear
38:13of the property
38:13is the smallest wing
38:15which contains
38:15the utility room
38:16and garage.
38:19Downstairs
38:20on the lower ground floor
38:21there are additional
38:22guest rooms
38:23and bathrooms.
38:23You walk into the kitchen
38:29and immediately
38:30consider retirement.
38:32It's calm.
38:33It's crisp.
38:34It's beautiful.
38:35The kind of space
38:36that says
38:37you've done enough.
38:39Sit down.
38:41Have something lemony.
38:43Oh, Andy,
38:45this is absolutely
38:47breathtaking.
38:47My overriding ambition
38:51was to create
38:52a place
38:52that made you
38:53feel incredibly calm.
38:55That you could feel
38:55really, really at ease.
38:57Really, really
38:57connected to nature.
38:59The clients
39:00used to live
39:01in a house
39:01next door
39:02on the site
39:03so had a very
39:04strong idea
39:05about what they wanted.
39:07It was all about
39:08views, views, views.
39:09You know,
39:09that was what
39:10we were told.
39:11We are literally
39:12walking around
39:13with them
39:13and grading
39:15the views
39:15almost like
39:16one to ten.
39:17Say,
39:17which is your
39:17favourite view?
39:18Which is your
39:18ten out of ten view?
39:20Then we're thinking,
39:21okay, well,
39:22that's where we
39:22want to put
39:23the lounge.
39:24Where's your
39:25next favourite view?
39:26That's where we
39:26want to put
39:27the kitchen.
39:28And so on
39:29and so on
39:29and so on.
39:29And that's how
39:30the plan
39:30really starts
39:31to come together.
39:33It's not just
39:34the views
39:34that captivate.
39:36The craftsmanship
39:37is extraordinary.
39:39The timber roof
39:40runs right
39:41through the house,
39:42right through
39:43all of the rooms
39:44in the bedroom wing.
39:46How do you
39:47make that happen?
39:49Not a single
39:50one is out
39:51of place.
39:53So number one
39:54is meticulous
39:54planning.
39:55So it all
39:55has to be drawn
39:56so that everything
39:57is worked out
39:58beforehand.
39:59And then you
40:00need a very,
40:00very skilled
40:01trade to put
40:02it together.
40:02And someone
40:02who's very
40:03tolerant as well
40:04because this
40:05is the kind
40:05of thing that
40:05could really
40:06drive you crazy
40:06if you weren't
40:07careful.
40:08Yeah.
40:08And I'm not
40:09sure they were
40:09my best friends
40:10actually at the
40:10end of it.
40:11Andy sketched
40:16the big ideas.
40:18Project architect
40:19Laura Locke
40:19had to make
40:20them work.
40:22Three wings,
40:23tilting roofs
40:24and angles
40:25everywhere.
40:26She had to
40:27make it all
40:28align.
40:29Think
40:29architectural
40:30origami
40:31with steel
40:32and timber
40:33and no
40:34second chances.
40:35The three
40:41wings all
40:42angle and
40:42fall to
40:44the centre
40:44of this
40:44building which
40:46brings with
40:46it a number
40:47of complexities.
40:49The lining
40:49up of all
40:50of the
40:50finishes both
40:51internally and
40:52externally which
40:53is not
40:54necessarily a
40:54parallel situation
40:56when you've got
40:56so many angles
40:57coming together.
40:59How do you go
40:59about making
41:00something like
41:01this happen?
41:01Everyone kind
41:02of thinks oh
41:03you know it's
41:03100% design
41:04but in reality
41:06it's not is it?
41:07It's a certain
41:07amount of design
41:08and a certain
41:09amount of just
41:10making it work.
41:11It's quite
41:11difficult and I
41:12think communication
41:13with contractors
41:14is really vital
41:15in projects like
41:16this.
41:17The work here
41:18was so complicated
41:20that something
41:21got lost in
41:22translation.
41:23We initially
41:24set it up with
41:25a line of timber
41:27that ran on the
41:28underside of the
41:29ridge and the
41:31hit boards and
41:32then ran all
41:33the rafter cladding
41:35into that ridge
41:37board alignment.
41:38The architects
41:39weren't happy
41:40with that so we
41:41had to take it
41:41down.
41:43Rather than
41:43connect the
41:44cladding to a
41:45central ridge
41:45board every piece
41:47of wood had to
41:48be cut and
41:49angled so that
41:50it met its twin
41:51from the other
41:51side in a
41:52razor sharp
41:53seamless joint.
41:58This place is
41:59beautiful.
42:00It's the sort
42:01of house that
42:02makes you not
42:03care where you
42:04left your
42:04passport.
42:06Being here
42:07really does feel
42:09like being on
42:09holiday with
42:11incredible access
42:12to the outdoors,
42:13amazing views and
42:15vistas in every
42:16direction, even a
42:18place to sun
42:18yourself.
42:19And all of this
42:21is contained within
42:22a house that has
42:24been beautifully
42:25designed and
42:26detailed by the
42:28architect.
42:43We've explored six
42:45remarkable homes so
42:46far, but which
42:48will earn their
42:48place on the
42:49coveted shortlist.
42:51In the running
42:52are the bold and
42:54beautiful triangle
42:55house with a
42:56whisper of the
42:57Caribbean.
42:59The restrained and
43:00elegant Niwa house,
43:01a home shaped by
43:02Japanese design
43:03principles and
43:04tranquility.
43:06The Californian
43:07Courtyard house,
43:09bright, breezy and
43:10designed for soaking
43:11up the sun.
43:13Sea Sky House, a
43:15coastal retreat where
43:16every day feels like
43:17a holiday.
43:19Catching Sun House, a
43:21house that basks in
43:22light from morning
43:23till night.
43:24and ferry house, and
43:25ferry house, proving
43:26that retirement can
43:27be anything but
43:28retiring.
43:32Joining me is one of
43:34the judges, Livia
43:35Wang.
43:37How many houses have
43:38you shortlisted from
43:38this category?
43:39One.
43:40Just the one?
43:41Just the one.
43:41Which is?
43:42Triangle house.
43:43Triangle.
43:47So what is it about
43:48that house that
43:49caught your
43:50imagination?
43:51It's colourful, it's
43:52inventive, so all the
43:54blue block work, the
43:56two cuts on it, they
43:57all came on an angle, so
43:58they have this really
43:58nice blue stone
43:59columns.
44:00It's pointing to
44:01adventure, isn't it?
44:02It's saying, come with
44:03me and I'm going to
44:03take you by the hand and
44:05lead you on an exciting
44:06journey through this
44:08place.
44:08Yeah, absolutely.
44:10Wow, that's amazing.
44:10Wow, that's really
44:12good news.
44:13I mean, it's great.
44:14It's because it's also
44:15one of our first
44:16projects, so it's, we
44:17only started our
44:18practice about four
44:18years ago and building
44:20takes a long time.
44:22So Triangle House
44:24joins the shortest
44:25alongside Kirk and
44:26the Crake and
44:27Hastings House.
44:29There are four more
44:30places up for grabs
44:31before we find out
44:33which is crowned the
44:342025 RIBA House of
44:37the Year.
44:40Adversity isn't an
44:42essential quality in
44:44great buildings, but
44:45when it happens, it
44:46actually often deepens
44:47the rewards.
44:49I mean, homes which
44:50have difficult births
44:52shaped by struggle and
44:54perseverance, where
44:55every decision has been
44:56hard won.
44:58When that long journey
45:00ends in a place of
45:02escape or in a building
45:03that lifts you from the
45:04everyday and takes you
45:06on holiday, for example,
45:08then the result is all
45:09the sweeter.
45:11It's that Teddy Roosevelt
45:12quote, you know, I have
45:13never in my life envied a
45:16human being who led an
45:17easy life, but I have
45:18envied many people who
45:20led difficult lives, but
45:22led them well.
45:27Next time, we'll explore
45:29houses that celebrate
45:30their use of craftsmanship.
45:32They're on spring-loaded
45:33spring-loaded.
45:34Oh, wow, that's so
45:35elegant.
45:36Six more homes that
45:37draw you inside.
45:39This door, this is
45:40brass, isn't it?
45:40Yes.
45:41It makes a very
45:42impressive entrance.
45:43And inspire wonder.
45:45Oh, wow, look at this.
45:46The timber frame is the
45:48star of the show.
45:49The timber frame is the
46:19ER cabeza
46:24Oh, wow.
46:25So
46:26the timber frame
46:26is the
46:28district 478-270-16888.
46:29Not
46:30only
46:32the
46:34one
46:35who
46:36ketone
46:37was
46:38tried
46:39in
46:40the
46:41возвращ
46:42to
46:42one
46:44of
46:45now
46:47the
46:47two
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