Don't Move, Improve! 2022 shortlist is revealed

Are you looking for an architect to commission for your house extension? Is an apartment interior design refresh on the cards? Or would you simply be looking for inspiration on how to turn a cramped period house into a bright and airy minimalist architecture-inspired family home? Look no further than the Don't Move, Improve! 2022 shortlist, which has just been revealed to the world today. The popular London-wide architecture competition, organised by New London Architecture (NLA, the capital's dedicated centre focusing on the built environment), is now on its 13th year of celebrating smart, strategic moves that prove bigger is not always better – and that with flair, the right architect and some bold design moves, any domestic space can be transformed to fit one’s needs. 

This year’s shortlist features 15 renovation projects, spanning the breadth of the UK capital. There are rear extensions and upwards expansions; bright colours and neutral, subdued interiors; and plenty of modern, 21st-century vibes in historical brick shells, involving many of the building typologies that are common across London. 

The Don’t Move, Improve! 2022 shortlist

• Artist Studio Conversion by Vatraa
• A Tuscan Veranda by Turner Architects
• Bay Window House by Gundry + Ducker
• Church Road by AHMM with Ruff Architects
• Coffer House by Proctor & Shaw
• Concrete Plinth House by DGN Studio
• Curve Appeal by Nimtim Architects
• Forest House by AOC
• Little Brownings by Archmongers
• Non Boxy Lofty by Fraher & Findlay
• Pergola House by Benjamin Wilkes
• Pink House by Oliver Leech
• Shoji Apartment by Proctor & Shaw
• Slide and Slot House by Ashton Porter Architects
• Transitions by Red Squirrel Architects

A judging panel comprising NLA director Amy Chadwick Till, alongside architect Phil Coffey, journalist Anna White, engineer Sebastian Wood and property expert Kunle Barker put together this varied and rich list of nominees out of a wealth of submissions earlier in the year. The winner will be selected from this list, and will be announced in May 2022. 

‘This year’s submissions delighted our jury with innovative approaches to structure, layout, materials and colour,’ says Chadwick Till. ‘We were looking for creativity, originality, liveability, and cost-effectiveness, as well as consideration of environmental impact and local context. Don’t Move, Improve! aims to encourage great domestic-scale design across the city, so we are really pleased to have another shortlist that showcases a wide range of budgets, building styles, locations and home-owner needs.’

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