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Walking around London, it’s pretty easy to get house envy. The handsome Georgian terraces of west London, the picture-perfect, leafy streets of Hampstead and Dulwich, the awesome might (and style) of the Barbican.
But London’s most enviable houses aren’t all old. Spectacular new abodes are being built all the time – and it’s those that are celebrated by the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) House of the Year prize. And this year, excitingly, the award was given to a London home.
The building in question is called Six Columns and it was built in Crystal Palace, south London, by 31/44 Architects. Six Columns beat five other shortlisted homes which were all finished in the last year. You can see all the finalists in an online gallery here.
What’s so special about Six Columns? Well, the place was designed by Will Burges – director of 31/44 Architects – as a home for his family. Named after the six columns at its centre, the property has four bedrooms over two storeys, plus three separate garden spaces.
RIBA President Muyiwa Oki explained: ‘Six Columns is a beautifully crafted family home that cleverly incorporates Brutalist references and creative flourishes while retaining a strong sense of suburban belonging.
‘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.’
Here’s what Six Columns looks like, inside and out.
A London house also scooped RIBA’s House of the Year in 2023, with Tottenham’s Green House winning the prize. You can read all about that on Time Out here.
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