A functional and discrete family home by 31/44 Architects has been awarded the RIBA House of the Year 2024. 

Named Six Columns, the family home, designed by Will Burges, Director of 31/44 Architects, was created for him, his spouse, and their two kids, ingeniously occupies a small urban plot in the lush suburbs of Crystal Palace, South London, United Kingdom. 

This prestigious annual award,  presented by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), crowns the best example of UK one-off house design.   

Video by RIBA

The family will keep making changes to the building both inside and out as they live there, enabling it to adapt to their changing needs over time.

The two-story, four-bedroom home, which takes its name from the six columns that support the building's main structure, mimics the size and materials of nearby terrace houses while maintaining a unique style that alludes to the designer's wide range of architectural influences, including the Case Study houses in California and the Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe.

The interior design maximizes the wedge-shaped site, resulting in a practical family house that is easily adaptable to changing needs. The main hub that connects the many areas of the house is the entry hall. 

A bright and spacious kitchen diner on the left combines contemporary features, including full-height sliding windows and crisp white granite worktops, with a decidedly rustic look, best represented by oiled, unpainted pine cabinets and drawers. 

Modular living replaces the open-plan design to the right of the entrance, with smaller spaces that put privacy and storage first. 

Thick, exposed pine walls that serve as shelving units and a Wunderkammer (or cabinet of oddities) to display the family's collections and recollections are the defining feature of the living area. The space may be opened up by a sliding door to the kitchen in the summer, but it is intended to feel cozy in the winter. 

Apart from the independent bedroom suite on the ground level, there are two further bedrooms on the second floor and a fourth bedroom in the attic, which is tucked away in a raised roof box. 

The layering and "covering-up" of modern construction are purposefully challenged by the use of self-finished materials throughout. In addition to providing a natural warmth, exposed painted brickwork and easily adjustable spruce pine planks for joinery and fittings allow for future adjustments.

A low-maintenance, west-facing rainwater garden that directs water from all the roofs that cascade out of a massive spout and into a steel tank to prevent overflow and encourage reuse is one of the house's three distinct outdoor garden areas.

The home features three distinct garden areas outside, one of which is a low-maintenance, west-facing rainwater garden that directs water from all the roofs into a steel tank via a massive spout to encourage reuse and prevent overflow.

"Six Columns is a beautifully crafted family home that cleverly incorporates Brutalist references and creative flourishes while retaining a strong sense of suburban belonging," said RIBA President Muyiwa Oki.

"It shows what can be achieved when working with even the tightest of suburban sites, and its flexible, unfinished aesthetic offers a solution to futureproofed design: this is a home that can evolve with its occupants’ changing needs overtime."

"The generosity of space belies the limitations of this small garden plot. As we look for creative and practical solutions to the housing crisis, Six Columns offers a blueprint for bespoke urban infill development," Oki added.

"What makes a great home? Building your own home is a hugely intensive endeavour; if you are lucky enough to do it at all, you will probably only ever do it once in your life. One-off houses are as unique and varied as we are as individuals, so often producing them needs a closer understanding between the client and architect," said Je Ahn, 2024 RIBA House of the Year Award Chair.

"This philosophy of the home as a lifelong process might be a tricky concept in this fast-paced contractual world, however, Six Columns demonstrates an important message that we should all remember; your home is not a static slice of time, but continuously evolves with you," Ahn added.

Six Columns was selected from a shortlist of Eavesdrop, Sussex, by Tom Dowdall Architects, Farmworker’s House, Cornwall, by Hugh Strange Architects, Peckham House, London, by Surman Weston, The Hall, Kent, by TaylorHare Architects, Plas Hendy Stable Block, Monmouthshire, by Studio Brassica Architects. 

Last year, Green House by Hayhurst & Co was awarded the RIBA House of the Year 2023. In addition, the Red House by David Kohn of Architects was awarded the RIBA House of the Year 2022. 

Established in 2013, the RIBA House of the Year award recognizes the best new home or home addition created by a UK architect.

All images © Building Narratives, and video by RIBA. 

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