Meet the first two nominees competing to be crowned 2015 RIBA House of the Year

home on a Buckinghamshire estate
Flint House is a dramatic new home on a Buckinghamshire estate, designed by Skene Catling de la Pena. Photography: James Morris
(Image credit: James Morris)

Now in its 15th year, the annual RIBA House of the Year award (formerly the Manser Medal) is awarded to the best new house designed by an architect in the UK. 

It's a sign of the times that this year's seven nominees are being progressively unveiled in a special four-part TV series, Grand Designs: RIBA House of the Year that begins 4 November on Channel 4. Spoiler alert ahead, but the first two nominees are the Flint House and the Sussex House projects. 

The first, designed by Skene Catling De La Pena in Buckinghamshire as part of an artists commune, literally rises out of a seam of flint geology, its flint clad masonry creating a silhouette that the architects say 'gives both a feeling of varying geological strata with the building dissolving as it reaches to the sky.' 

The second nominee is Sussex House. Wilkinson King Architects' contemporary villa takes full advantage of its bucolic setting in the Sussex countryside - its open plan, muted colour palette, high ceilings and strategically placed windows flood the internal spaces with light to create a mood the architects describe as 'a quiet monastic cloister.' 

More nominee announcements to follow and the winner will be crowned on-screen on 25 November. As they say, stay tuned.

visitors accomodation

The house serves as accommodation for visitors to the estate. Photography: James Morris

(Image credit: James Morris)

masonry structure

A masonry structure, the house is clad in flint, which lends it its name. Photography: James Morris

(Image credit: James Morris)

Exterior view

The house was conceived as a piece of the area's geology, explain the architects. Photography: James Morris

(Image credit: James Morris)

structure also includes an annexe

Apart from the main residential element, the structure also includes an annexe. Photography: James Morris

(Image credit: James Morris)

converses with its surroundings

Nominated for RIBA House of the Year, Flint House is an inspirational dwelling that converses with its surroundings. Photography: James Morris

(Image credit: James Morris)

Sussex House

The second nomination is Sussex House by Wilkinson King Architects. Photography: Paul Riddle

(Image credit: Paul Riddle)

Exterior view

This is an exceptional contemporary retreat, featuring a low profile roof formed of pyramidal shapes. Photography: Paul Riddle

(Image credit: Paul Riddle)

Interior view

This is matched by a minimalist interior, which allows the roof structure to take centre stage. Photography: Paul Riddle

(Image credit: Paul Riddle)

a dramatic staircase

A double height central void, including a dramatic staircase, form the heart of the house. Photography: Paul Riddle

(Image credit: Paul Riddle)

Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.