A sustainable home built beside a Scottish loch has been announced as the winner of the prestigious House of the Year award, organised by the Royal Institute for British Architects (RIBA) and sponsored by Forterra.
RIBA’s House of the Year Award 2018, which was broadcast on Channel 4’s Grand Designs throughout November, highlighted exceptional homes and extensions from across the UK. In the final episode after showcasing four more exceptional properties and shortlisting one of them, the final winner – Lochside House – was announced.
Lochside House, a modest yet magical home, is embedded in the countryside of the West Highlands and blends in seamlessly with its setting. The house is completely off-grid, powered by solar panels on its roof and with its own water supply and sewage treatment system, all designed to minimise energy use.
Designed by architects Haysom Ward Miller, the scale and siting of the house, which is tucked into a natural fold in the land and designed around the existing established trees, was carefully considered so that the building seems like an integrated part of the landscape. The RIBA judges were impressed by the 'highly successful creation', citing the scale, material choices, and use of the setting and integration into the landscape as 'excellent'.
This year was the first time Forterra sponsored the award. The firm was intrigued by how the shortlisted houses would inspire the country’s architects and homebuilders.
Paul Rogatzki, Technical Consultant for Forterra and jury member for the RIBA House of the Year 2018, said, “All the houses in this week’s episode of Grand Designs are wonderful examples of how great architecture can catch us off-guard and test the limits of design, and we were thrilled to be so closely involved in this prestigious celebration of UK properties.
“Forterra’s unique selection of building products offers architects and builders an unparalleled choice when designing properties and extensions, whether they’re looking for bricks, blocks, paving, chimney pots, precast concrete units or other essential components.”
Stephen Harrison, Chief Executive of Forterra said, “We’d like to congratulate those involved with Lochside House for designing and building such a worthy winner of RIBA’s House of the Year. We were very proud to sponsor these awards, which for more than 50 years has championed the very best new houses to have been built in Britain.
“As one of the country’s leading manufacturers of building products, we work closely with architects and developers to supply the vital components necessary to make people’s dream homes and other projects a reality.”