James Macdonald Wright and Niall Maxwell’s reimagining of the English country house, “Caring Wood,” has been selected as the 2017 RIBA House of the Year, bestowed annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) to the “best new house or house extension designed by an architect in the UK.”
Inspired by the traditional ‘oast houses’ – agricultural buildings used for kilning hops – found in the county of Kent, the house was lauded by the jury for its celebrating of local building crafts and traditions, including the use of handmade peg clay tiles, locally quarried ragstone and coppiced chestnut shingles.
“I am delighted that Caring Wood has been named RIBA House of the Year 2017,” said RIBA President Ben Derbyshire. “It’s a house built for multiple generations of a growing family and allows the owner’s daughters, their husbands and their children to reside under one roof – cleverly accommodating their desire to be together and their desire to be apart. This ambitious house explores new architectural methods, materials and crafts and allows us to question the future of housing and the concept of multi-generational living. I’ve no doubt many of the ideas displayed at Caring Wood will influence UK housing for many years to come.”
The house was completed as a joint project between James Macdonald Wright, founder of Macdonald Wright Architects, and Niall Maxwell of Rural Office for Architecture.
“Sustainability in architectural practice is expected, but I believe regionalism, craft and the interpretation of the vernacular are also important. I’m delighted that, in Caring Wood, they are being recognized,” commented Macdonald-Wright. “This project proves that, by joining together, small practices can do big things. It was made possible by the combination of an incredibly dedicated team and a uniquely supportive client. I’d like to thank them.”
“We’ve been winning awards for our projects since we were founded 9 years ago, but we never anticipated winning such a prestigious award so soon," added Maxwell. "This would never have happened without James inviting us to work with him on Caring Wood. Collaboration with many talented people enabled us to realise the design for this contemporary country house. This demonstrates what small practices are capable of when given the chance by enlightened clients."
The full jury report, led by chair Deborah Saunt, is as follows:
This scheme is an ambitious project which seeks to re-envisage the “English country house” in the 21st century to meet the needs of three generations of the same family. The jury was impressed with how Macdonald Wright Architects had manipulated space and scale to balance the need for grandeur with intimacy – from the soaring spaces of the piano nobile to the living spaces partially embedded in the hillside below. As a result they have created a house of over 1400 sqm which nevertheless feels like a home. The detail of how each space will be inhabited has been very carefully thought through.
Caring Wood engages in the dialogue of critical regionalism: the design of the house is modern but with clear links to the Kentish rural vernacular and local building traditions. Externally, the form of the house uses the traditional oast house as a form generator - on entering, there is a framed view of a traditional oast in the distance. The house comprises four towers with an interlinking roof. This family of towers are sentry points in the landscape with distinct personalities. A conversation is set up both between the towers of the house itself and with those of the oast houses in the distant landscape, providing a tension to the overall composition.
The jury were also impressed with the quality of the build, the level of craftsmanship and the rigour of the pared-back palette of materials employed throughout. It is a composition of locally sourced handmade peg clay tiles, locally quarried ragstone and locally coppiced chestnut cladding. It is a rich, warm palette that ties the house to the Kent countryside and speaks of ‘place’. The towers together with the interlinking roof are clad solely in clay tiles, which the architect describes as a ‘tablecloth being draped over the terrain’. The simplicity of this visual device is very effective and the attention to detail in the way the roof is peeled away in places to acknowledge window soffits or other openings was a delight to see.
The quality of the internal environment both acoustically and in terms of how the daylight was manipulated was fantastic.
The extensive landscaping surrounding the house is still in its infancy, yet there is already evidence as to how this will help to seamlessly connect the house to its setting, a year or two from now.
The house has excellent sustainable credentials. It provides a carbon neutral response to climate change. The form of the building was developed around a central courtyard with oast towers providing summer cooling by passive stack ventilation. Caring Wood’s sustainability is addressed through low energy design and the use of clean green technologies, and in the regional application of building form, material choices and detailing.
At the announcement, RIBA also revealed the final home shortlisted for the RIBA House of the Year award. The full list of seven finalist projects included:
Caring Wood by James Macdonald Wright and Niall Maxwell
Shawm House by MawsonKerr Architects
6 Wood Lane by Birds Portchmouth Russum
Newhouse of Auchengree by Ann Nisbet Studio
_David_Barbour_5-hd.jpg?1511907301)
Hidden House by Coffey Architects
News via RIBA.
Caring Wood / James Macdonald Wright and Niall Maxwell
16 Macdonald Wright Architects Rural Office for Architecture Structural Engineer Planning Consultant Synergy Consulting Engineers Ecological Building Consultant Neill Woodger Acoustics and Theatre Design Groundworks Project manager Main Contractor Groundworks and structure Text description provided by the architects. Caring Wood is an extensive country home for three generations of the same family, incorporating formal, communal and private spaces.
_David_Barbour_5-hd.jpg?1511907301 "James Macdonald Wright and Niall Maxwell's Caring Wood Wins 2017 RIBA House of the Year")
