Dezeen Magazine

Britain's best new houses revealed in RIBA House of the Year 2016 award longlist

The 20 houses vying for this year's RIBA House of the Year award have been announced, including a forest home for a pair of artists, a London residence covered in mirrors and a cluster of cabins in Dungeness (+ slideshow).

Outhouse; Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, by Loyn & Co
Outhouse; Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, by Loyn & Co. Photograph by Charles Hosea

A renovated mid-century house in Wiltshire, a house-cum-gallery in Brighton and a Japanese-inspired house extension also feature on the longlist for the RIBA's annual award, which recognises the best UK house designs of the past 12 months.

Garden House; Hackney, London, England, by Hayhurst and Co
Garden House; Hackney, London, England, by Hayhurst and Co. Photograph by Killian O'Sullivan

Other additions include a house with a rooftop garden pyramid, a fort-like residence in Jersey, a stone and zinc country house in Cumbria, a house that hangs over a cliff in Cornwall and a small faceted extension to a Yorkshire home.

Ansty Plum; Wiltshire, England, by Coppin Dockray
Ansty Plum; Wiltshire, England, by Coppin Dockray. Photograph by Rachael Smith

Formerly known as the Manser Medal, the prize was renamed RIBA House of the Year in 2015.

It now forms the basis for a spinoff of the television series Grand Designs, presented by Kevin McCloud, with the shortlist and winner announced over four episodes.

North Vat; Dungeness, Kent, England, by Rodic Davidson Architects
North Vat; Dungeness, Kent, England, by Rodic Davidson Architects. Photograph by Hélène Binet

Last year's winner was a house clad in pieces of flint, designed by Skene Catling de la Pena for one of the world's richest families.

Other past winners include an extended Welsh stone barn, a south London house with translucent glass walls and an extension to a mill-keeper's house on the Norfolk Broads.

Scroll down for the full list of projects vying for the RIBA House of the Year 2016 award:


» Ansty Plum; Wiltshire, England, by Coppin Dockray
» Contemporary lean-to; Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, by Doma Architects
» Contour House; Baslow, Derbyshire, England, by Sanei Hopkins Architects
» Covert House; Clapham Old Town, London, England, by DSDHA
» Edge Hill; Darras Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, by Sutherland Hussey Harris

The Owers House; Feock, Cornwall, England, by John Pardey Architects. Photograph by James Morris
The Owers House; Feock, Cornwall, England, by John Pardey Architects. Photograph by James Morris

» Garden House; Hackney, London, England, by Hayhurst and Co
» House of Trace; Lewisham, London, England, by Tsuruta Architects
» Le Petit Fort; Jersey, Channel Islands, by Hudson Architects
» Modern Mews; London, England, by Coffey Architects
» Murphy House; Hart Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, by Richard Murphy Architects

House of Trace; Lewisham, London, England, by Tsuruta Architects
House of Trace; Lewisham, London, England, by Tsuruta Architects. Photograph by Tim Croker

» North Vat; Dungeness, Kent, England, by Rodic Davidson Architects
» Outhouse; Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, by Loyn & Co
» Private house in Cumbria; Cumbria, England, by Bennetts Associates
» The Cheeran House; Reading, Berkshire, England, by John Pardey Architects
» The Narrow House; Brighton & Hove, England, by Sanei Hopkins Architects

The Narrow House; Brighton & Hove, England, by Sanei Hopkins Architects
The Narrow House; Brighton & Hove, England, by Sanei Hopkins Architects. Photograph by Peter Landers

» The Owers House; Feock, Cornwall, England, by John Pardey Architects
» House 19; Old Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, by Jestico + Whiles
» Private House 1109; Cheshire, England, by GA Studio Architects
» Tin House; Shepherd's Bush, London, England, by Henning Stummel Architects
» Zinc-House; near Monikie, Angus, Scotland, byLJR+H Chartered Architects