5 December 2023.
The winner of the RIBA House of the Year 2023 is Green House, designed by London-based architectural studio Hayhurst & Co. Established in 2004 by Nick Hayhurst and Jonathan Nicholls, the studio created Green House to replace an existing house in a conservation area located on a confined urban plot in an alleyway in Tottenham, London. Historically the backland site of Green House comprised greenhouses, market gardens and orchards.
The RIBA judges describe the winning house as a ‘domestic greenhouse’ and an ‘extraordinary ordinary house’.
Green House is clad in polycarbonate panels and screened with dense planting. It features double-aspect views, a roof terrace, and a central atrium that connects the living spaces and brings in daylight. The open-plan kitchen, double-height dining space, and living rooms can also be sub-divided by curtains. When open, they double up as a photoshoot space for the owner-photographer.
The material palette is restricted, and the interior of the primary structure is not dressed or lined to minimise waste. Notched Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) doors avoid the need for architraves and door frames. The building exceeds the RIBA Climate Challenge 2030 targets with its CLT construction, reclaimed concrete blocks, recycled cork rubber floors, along with air-source heat pumps and solar panels. Photo Kilian O’Sullivan. RIBA
