RIBA House of the Year 2025 is a ‘rare mixture of sensitivity and boldness’

The RIBA House of the Year 2025 has just been announced. The institute has been drip-feeding the seven nominated houses over the past few weeks, showcasing each design on the British TV show Grand Designs and building up to tonight’s big reveal; and the winner is Izat Arundell’s Caochan na Creige, a masterfully sited self-build house on a remote site in the Outer Hebrides.

Step inside the RIBA House of the Year 2025, a masterful self-build in the Outer Hebrides

Designed and built by architects Eilidh Izat and Jack Arundell for their own use, and developed along with local contractors and building materials, the house was the unanimous choice of the judging panel, chaired by architect David Kohn.

RIBA House of the Year 2025: Caochan na Creige by Izat Arundell

‘Caochan na Creige addressed every issue – challenging climatic conditions, the relationship to vernacular architecture and a tight budget – with a rare mixture of sensitivity and boldness,’ says Kohn.

Alongside Kohn were judges Gill Lambert of AOC, Amalia Skoufoglou of O’Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects and Livia Wang, creative director at Van Gogh House London.

‘[The house’s] enigmatic form, recalling large castles and defensive structures, belies its intimate scale,’ Kohn continues. ‘All these things make it an exemplary home which will have much to contribute to future debates around domestic architecture in rural contexts.’

The six other shortlisted houses for RIBA House of the Year 2025

Hastings House by Hugh Strange Architects

The house, which was also shortlisted for this year's RIBA Stirling Prize (losing out to Appleby Blue Almshouse by Witherford Watson Mann) follows on from earlier domestic projects like the house reconfiguration in Peckham, south London.

An existing extension was replaced with a series of galvanised steel units that step the multi-terraced rear garden. Each of these new rooms is given large timber sliding doors, while the existing retaining wall is paired with a new concrete slab yet retains the scars of use over the centuries. It’s a series of interventions that enhances the original house without scouring the site of its history, with contemporary materials and details providing a strong contrast to what went before.

Triangle House by Artefact

Artefact Studio’s Triangle House, which Wallpaper* featured last year, is a playful but pitch-perfect take on the traditional suburban home. With an unprepossessing 1950s house as a starting point, the architects have extended the floorplan with a rear garden wing and created an explosion of colour throughout the rest of the property. Materials include triangular blue blocks and a warm yellow ceiling, with a specialist gardener creating an exterior planting scheme to add to the warm, tropical feeling.

Amento by James Gorst Architects

This new house by James Gorst and his team occupies a plot long earmarked by the owners as a place to downsize their empty nest. The brief called for a futureproof single-story dwelling that didn’t succumb to traditional bungalow iconography and could be adapted and occupied as the owners grow older.

Jankes Barn by Lynch Architects

From the exterior, this traditional barn in rural Essex looks much like it was before Lynch Architects undertook a sensitive but extensive restoration. The heart of this project is the original timber structure, which has been preserved and given fresh life as the focus of the full-height living space.

The architects retained the original barn doors, now framing a glazed screen, while restored elements are paired with new oak insertions. The latter are left squared off and new, unlike their time-worn counterparts, with timberwork overseen by local expert and master carpenter Dr Joseph Bispham.

Housestead by Sanei + Hopkins Architects

This experimental UK home was designed as a ‘laboratory for a living prototype’. Housestead, designed by Sanei + Hopkins (and also owned by the couple, who are partners in work and life), was conceived as the personal residence of studio co-founders Amir Sanei and Abigail Hopkins, and their family of seven. The project is idyllically set within the Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), situated within the grounds of a generous, 400-acre estate.

London Brut by Pricegore Architects

This robust and handsome 1960s Chelsea townhouse has been given a modern makeover by London architects Pricegore, preserving the tough character of the original architecture and adding functionality, texture, colour and even an element of brutalist charm. Located in Chelsea, the modernist terraced house spent many decades under its original ownership before the current clients bought it in 2020. Pricegore was appointed to give the structure its first major overhaul since it was built by Morgan and Branch Architects.

RIBA.org

IzatArundell.com