Haysom Ward Miller's Lochside House Named RIBA House of the Year 2018

Written by Eric Baldwin
Published on November 29, 2018

Haysom Ward Miller's Lochside House in the West Highlands has been named RIBA House of the Year 2018. The annual accolade is given by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) to the UK’s best new architect-designed house. Lochside House was revealed as the winner in the final episode of a special Channel 4 series Grand Designs: House of the Year. The award-winning project was designed as a modest, sustainable home for a ceramic artist on the edge of a Scottish lake.

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The house is formed of three buildings huddled together and clad in burnt Scottish larch, protected by a traditional drystone wall. The house is completely off-grid: all energy comes from the sun and water is pulled up from a borehole. Inside, the rooms are made with a pared-back aesthetic. Walls are lined in white oiled timber, surfaces are skimmed with a rough textured plaster and large windows at varying heights capture stunning views. Inside, the spaces merge with the artist owner's art collection.

RIBA President Ben Derbyshire said that, "by containing its scale, sensitively positioning the crop of buildings on a promontory around established trees, and making use of local materials, HaysomWardMiller have created a home which perfectly responds to its exposed, unique location. Every detail has been fine-tuned to create an exceptional home and studio that meets the needs and wishes of its artist owner. Lochside House is the perfect addition to this dream landscape.” The house was chosen for its client-architect relationship, which resulted in "an exceptional house that has a rich conversation with the natural environment."

Tom Miller of HaysomWardMiller, said that: “To build a good, energy-efficient house here wasn’t straightforward. It was only possible because we had a client with the uncompromising determination and vision to keep pushing us to achieve our best, and a contractor’s team for whom we have enormous respect - they seemed to thrive on the unique challenges posed by building on such an exposed and inaccessible site."

The Makers House by Liddicoat & Goldhill was the seventh and final home shortlisted for the RIBA House of the Year. The full shortlist for the RIBA House of the Year 2018 is: