RIBA House of the Year 2024 shortlist: Farmworker's House

Farmworker’s House by Hugh Strange Architects is shortlisted for RIBA's House of the Year 2024.
Find out more about each project: www.architecture.com/HouseoftheYear
Find out more about our awards and how you can enter: www.architecture.com/awards-and-competitions-landing-page/awards
Nestled into a wooded field, this deceptively simple home adopts an introverted courtyard house typology, its L-shaped plan sheltering a south-facing garden. Thick masonry walls of monolithic clay blocks form the protective wings, simply finished with textured lime render. Beyond the walls, the surrounding agricultural ​land ​is left untouched, allowing livestock to graze right up to the boundary walls. Inside, smooth unpainted lime plaster mirrors the roughcast outside, while dark brick floors throughout recall Victorian stable pavers, and an exposed roof structure of locally-grown Douglas Fir hangs above.
Presented by the Royal Institute of British Architects, the House of the Year is a prestigious annual award for the best example of a one-off house designed by an architect in the UK, celebrating excellence and innovation in home design.