Looking at awe-inspiring residential designs is a daily task here at the Wallpaper* architecture desk, but there’s one event that is guaranteed to give us instant house envy; the annual RIBA House of the Year announcement. The architecture institute has just announced its longlist for 2018, which proves, once more, that no matter how many gorgeous residences one can visit, there’s always something new to delight and inspire.
Indeed, in this list, there’s something for everybody; from wood-clad cottages to modern country homes and urban retreats, to sensitive restorations and small-but-beautiful city homes, the list is wide-ranging and diverse. This year’s nominees include well-known names such as 6a Architects for its Black Stone Building and Coastal Home, and Carmody Groarke and its Fitzrovia House; but also younger, dynamic practices, such as Soup Architects and Open Practice Architecture with their imaginative transformation of a Victorian Gin Distillery into a family home.
The list totals 20 contemporary homes which are either newly built, anywhere in the country, or have been recently refreshed in creative and adapted reuses of existing space. Materials are as varied as ever, spanning brick, timber, concrete and stone – material being a feature that the winning design has traditionally stood out for. Past winners have included Richard Murphy Architects for Murphy House (2016), Skene Catling de la Peña for Flint House (2015), Loyn & Co for Stormy Castle (2014) and Carl Turner Architects for Slip House (2013).
The coveted spots on the shortlist will be announced this autumn, with the winner revealed later in the year during a TV series exploring the homes in detail. Watch this space.
Berkshire House by Gregory Phillips Architects.
Black House by AR Design Studio.
Black Stone House by 6a architects.
Coastal House by 6a architects.
Dartmouth Park House by AY Architects.
Duncan Cottage by James Grayley Architects.
Gin Distillery by Open Practice Architecture
Lochside House by Haysomwardmiller Architect.
No 37 by Famiy Architects.
Oatlands Close by SOUP architects.
Old Shed New House by Tonkin Liu.
Pheasants by Sarah Griffiths + Amin Taha.
Red House by 31/44 Architects.
The Makers House by Liddicoat & Goldhill LLP.
The Old Court House by Harrison Brookes Architects
Vex by Chance da Silva
INFORMATION
-
Designer Alex Proba teams up with Hoka for a delightfully colourful shoe collabThis maximalist footwear capsule is designed to get dirty
-
Photographer Mohamed Bourouissa reflects on society, community and marginalised communities at MASTMohamed Bourouissa unites his work from the last two decades at Bologna’s Fondazione MAST
-
Behind a carefully composed geometric brick façade, a New Delhi residence rises highAKDA’s design for this New Delhi residence explores new geometries and high densities
-
Wolves Lane Centre brings greenery, growing and grass roots togetherWolves Lane Centre, a new, green community hub in north London by Material Cultures and Studio Gil, brings to the fore natural materials and a spirit of togetherness
-
The 2025 Obel Award is scooped not by an architect or building, but by a movementHouseEurope! has won the 2025 Obel Award; the non-profit organisation has been advocating for ecological and social transformation in the built environment
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshopNew Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on lifeThanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being reborn as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
Lego and Serpentine celebrate World Play Day with a new pavilionLego and Serpentine have just unveiled their Play Pavilion; a colourful new structure in Kensington Gardens in London and a gesture that celebrates World Play Day (11 June)
-
Inside Abbey Road's refresh: touring the legendary studio's new interiorAbbey Road gets an interior refresh by Threefold Architects, bringing the legendary London recording studio in tune with the 21st century
-
The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready to visit, ‘an exhibition you can use’The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready for its public opening on 6 June; we toured the structure and spoke to its architect, Marina Tabassum
-
A meticulously crafted artist’s space in east London evokes the area’s long creative historyMaich Swift Architects’ artist’s space has radically reconfigured a Victorian terraced house, transforming it into a contemporary live/work interior
