Wales is home to some stunning properties and homes and two have been recognised in the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) 2023 National Awards. They have both claimed spots in the UK's 30 best new buildings for 2023.
The properties earning the accolade are Rhossili House, a stunning clifftop home on the Gower, and Pen Y Common, an extension to a traditional 17th-century longhouse, in Hay-On-Wye. For Pen Y Common the team were able to double the footprint of the home without harming the charm and character of the existing cottage and its setting.
The longhouse now looks clean, slick, and modern. The tall ceilings provide plenty of light and space and a wooden theme runs throughout with wooden décor and wood panelling on the outside.
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RIBA judges said: "The brief for this project asked for an extension to a traditional 17th-century Welsh longhouse located halfway up a remote hillside south of Hay-on-Wye. Having strong emotional ties to this area where they grew up the client displayed a keen and admirable sense of the responsibility to avoid overdevelopment. This led them to set the design challenge of doubling their home’s footprint without harming the charm and character of the existing cottage and its setting."
Pen Y Common, Hay-On-Wye
- Designed by Nidus Nidus Architects and Rural Office (Hay-on-Wye, Wales)
- Extension to a 17th Century Welsh longhouse
- Contract value: £210,000 at £2.1k per square metre
- Has won Royal Society of Architecture Wales awards for best small project and conservation
- The brief was to double the home’s footprint without harming the charm and character of the existing cottage and its setting.
- Contractor Firth Construction Limited
Rhossili House, Worms Head, Gower
- Maich Swift Architects (Paul Swift)
- Young family wanted to build a home to enjoy views of the sea 70m above Rhossili Bay
- Has won the Royal Society of Architecture Wales award for architect of the year
- Internal area: 270m2
- The layout is built around a compact central staircase and windows offer views all around the home
- There is no cavity wall but it is lined with rigid wood-fibre insulation, finished with a vapour-permeable lime render. This simple but effective breathable mass construction ensures the interior has stable humidity and temperature levels and so remains comfortable all year round
Speaking about Rhossili House the judges said: "Located on the Gower Peninsula, 70m above Rhossili Bay, the site is on a highly exposed clifftop with enviable views out west to the sea and north towards a dramatic undulating coastline. The client, a young family, sought a place to enjoy their love of the area whilst respecting the exceptional scenic qualities and neighbouring village of Rhossili."
