Projects showcasing the best in design, construction and materials
WORDS EMILY BROOKS
Great design deserves to be celebrated, and there is no shortage of accolades recognising the finest homes that the architecture industry can deliver. Whether they highlight technical innovation, excellence in construction, sustainable design or making a small budget go a long way, some projects rise to the top and shine out above the others.
1 PAVILION SERIES Brian Messana of Messana O’Rorke designed Junegrass House in Jackson, Wyoming, USA, for his brother and sister in law. With a rugged mountain backdrop, their single-storey, 465sqm home is arranged in four separate pavilions connected by glazed corridors to give a homely sense of scale. The inspiration was Mormon Row, a nearby settlement of early 20th-century houses, and the project won a American Architecture Award 2022 in the Private Houses category.
The living room, dining room and kitchen are in the central pavilion, which has big glass doors that open to an outdoor kitchen and dining area. There are four bedrooms, one of which is in a separate guesthouse.
The interiors are a mixture of the rustic – stone fireplaces, exposed rafters and wide-plank oak floors – and the crisply finished, with shadow gaps, marble bathrooms and simple bespoke timber joinery. Outside, the structure is clad in stained cedar and stone. (messanaororke.com)
2 ECO UPGRADE
Architect Ian Walker of Casa Architects remodelled this 1930s house in Winsley, Bradfordon-Avon, for himself and his wife Bruni, with a focus on improving energy efficiency and the connection to the outside space.
The house was poorly made and insulated, but had uninterrupted countryside views and great potential. Adding a side-infill extension and converting the unused roof void into an en-suite bedroom increased space. This was done while retaining as much of the original fabric as possible to minimise the carbon footprint of the project.
The two-storey house now has three bedrooms, plus a studio that could become a fourth. External insulation and timber cladding transformed its appearance and thermal efficiency, with lots of south-facing triple glazing to harness the sun’s energy. The changes led to a huge drop in energy use, from 479kWh/m2 to 47.7 kWh/m2. The remodel cost £2,650 per sqm, and in 2023 the house was recognised in the AJ Retrofit Awards. (casa-architects.co.uk)
3 ADAPTABLE DESIGN
Villa Sjöviken is on Kemiö island in southern Finland. Architect Jenni Reuter, who also created the interiors, designed the 206sqm house for a Finnish couple who currently live outside the
