The highly anticipated RIBA London Awards 2022 list features slimfit homes that fit into small urban spaces. There were 126 entries to the coveted architectural programme. The 68 shortlisted winners were announced today. All regional round winners will be eligible for the RIBA Stirling Prize, the highest honor in British architecture. The winner of each round will be announced in October. The two-bedroom home was designed by James MacDonald, an architect. The judges called it “small but perfectly built.” The staircase is made of Douglas Fir with exposed timber beams above, and it was inspired by the library. Clapton Library House by MacDonald Wright Architect/Heiko PriggeInside, a Corten steel envelope means it is highly insulated and has a front door as well as a letter box that conforms to Passivhaus standards. It also has solar panels on its roof. MacDonald Wright says, “We calculated that the space heating would be a tenth the requirements of a house under the current Building Regs – it has performed even better.” He used local materials like bathroom taps from Barber Wilson, Tottenham, and blue liasstone flooring from Somerset. This Edwardian semi in Sydenham was transformed by architects CAN into a vibrant, pop-culture-inspired home. The house’s rear extension takes its inspiration from the mountains. It has a laser-cut design on the outside and a partially-ruined brick wall inside. To join the two houses together, a new skylight was added to the upstairs hallway. Mountain View in Sydenham, CAN / Jim StephensonArchitect Mat Barnes was fascinated by photos of Disneyland’s Matterhorn ride construction and the extension of the Edwardian Sydenham house. The kitchen units were made from recycled chopping boards, milk bottle tops, and kitchen units. Mat Barnes was fascinated by photos of Disneyland’s Matterhorn ride and of fake mountain scenery during the extension of the Edwardian house in Sydenham. The basement contains 91 rooms and a guest-only library. Pitched Black in Brockley by Gruff ArchitectsThis slanted timber box is home to Rhys Cannon and Joanna Brindle, as well as their three children. The couple found the plot in Brockley conservation region a decade ago. They eventually built it on. The house’s upper storey spans the entire width of the site. It is supported at one end with a network of stilts. This allows for parking space to be left behind. Pitched Black in Brockley, Gruff Architects / French & TyeThe overhanging box’s blackened wooden cladding completely blocks the front of the house which faces existing homes. However, it opens to the rear and offers views towards the mature trees. House in Primrose Hill by Jamie FobertFrom the street, this grand Victorian house looks traditional. It is modern and stylish inside, but respectful of its era. Engineers and architects suspended the floors and added two lower floors below them using water-fired and coal-fired Danish bricks. The new inner sanctum is lit by deep light shafts running the length of the building. A new white concrete cast staircase leads to the new floors, which house an office and a playroom. Peter Barber Architects revived the post-war residential enclave, building 15 new homes, seven of which are available for rent. Each home is built to high energy efficiency standards and trees were planted in order to increase biodiversity. Kiln Place in Camden, by Peter Barber Architects / Peter Barber The team was able to create private terraces for each house through clever fenestration designs. It is only a few minutes walk from Gospel underground. Hampstead Heath is also just across the railway line. The owners wanted to expand it to accommodate their growing family and allow them to remain in the community. However, the brief also included reducing its carbon footprint. The architects removed the entire interior of the property and replaced it with sash windows and case windows that act like triple-glazed windows. The property now has heating and cooling via an air source heat pump. It was described by the judges as “reworking small buildings to good effect.” The property was restricted by its wedge-shaped footprint, which was 1 m wide at its narrowest point. It was also surrounded on three sides by properties and garden walls. The solution? To extend upwards as well as downwards. To give the roof a loft-like feeling and create additional living space, it was literally raised. The basement is below a glass floor with mirrored wall and houses a new bedroom. Sideways House is one the three-storey terraced houses Forest Gate. It is warehouse-like and has a roof terrace that can be accessed via stairs. There are also spaces that can be closed off for different purposes. The winter garden can also be closed, and the stairwell can be transformed into different rooms at different levels. The interiors have a Mad Men-era feel with exposed brick and leather couches. The judges deemed the home “ingenious urban response to a tight location” and “exciting”. The house is almost seamless in its surroundings, with only three muted exterior materials – grey brick and black timber, and tubular metalwork. The subtle use and integration of materials continues into the interior of the property, where terrazzo tiles are used to soften the effect. Two bedrooms and two bathrooms are submerged in semi-sunken floors, while the outside is a sunken and planted courtyard.
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