Six London projects are in the running to be named House of the Year 2022 by the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba).
The top architecture award winner, to be revealed in the seventh series of Grand Designs: House of the Year on Channel 4 later this year, will come from a 20-strong longlist of projects dotted around England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Among the six London contenders is Mountain View by CAN in Sydenham, an Edwardian house transformed into a colourful, pop culture-inspired home with a playful rear extension modelled on Disneyland's Matterhorn ride.
A mews house in Notting Hill is also up for the top design prize. Prewett Bizley Architects completed an extensive refurbishment of the home for owners who wanted to stay in the local community but needed more space for their growing family.
The project also radically reduced the property's carbon footprint. Exterior walls were lined with insulating plaster, while heating and cooling systems are now powered by an air source heat pump.
On a small plot in Leyton, a new house was created for a filmmaker and writer by McMahon Architecture. Called Leyton House, the tall, brick and timber home bookends a row of traditional, mostly two-storey, 1960s houses.
Strategically designed internal courtyards and roof lights ensure plenty of daylight. There are also provisions for solar panels and an air source heat pump to be added when finances allow.
Also in east London is The Library House by MacDonald Wright Architects. It's a narrow infill house in Clapton, Hackney, between the Grade II-listed Edwin Cooper Library and a row of terraced cottages.
Taking inspiration from the library, a semi-circular staircase bookshelf provides playful character and function. The high-performance home meets all the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge targets despite having been designed before the targets were set.
In Surbiton, a two-storey detached home — called Surbiton Springs — has been built by Surman Weston. Suburban mock-Tudor meets modern industrial chic in this home. A steel frame has been designed to be exoskeletal “as if it were drawn by a child”, according to Riba.
Peeking House in West Ealing is by Fletcher Crane Architects who replaced an unsightly garage with a new four-storey home on an awkward “general dumping ground” plot. Two floors are above ground, with the main living space half a storey up to maximise light levels. The two lower floors contain an ensuite bedroom and, on the basement level, a further bedroom which opens out to a sunken courtyard.
Other longlisted homes around the UK include a playful red-brick house with apple green eaves, doors and windows in Dorset.
A retreat built to Passivhaus standards in Cambridgeshire is also on the longlist. Solar panels and rainwater pipe allow its owner to live with as little environmental impact as possible.
Parchment Works is a surprising extension to a Grade II-listed Victorian house in Suffolk in that the ruin of a cattle shed has been kept attached to the home. Living rooms and bedrooms have been inserted within the boundaries of the ruined walls.
See all 20 UK projects longlisted for the top Riba award in our gallery above. The shortlist and winner of the Riba House of the Year 2022 will be revealed on Channel 4’s Grand Designs: House of the Year in autumn.
