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The House of the Year Award 2013 saw a rich typological and geographic mix and should be the runaway winner of the ‘Most Hotly Debated Judging Session Award’. Meeting in Central London to judge the award were Aljosa Dekleva, Founding Partner of dekleva gregoric arhitekti, Tanya Kalinina, Director at McAdam Architects and Carl Turner, Founding Director of Carl Turner Architects with WAN’s Michael Hammond, Editor in Chief as Awards Chair.
First onto the shortlist was Jamberoo Farm House by Casey Brown Architecture, located to the south of Sydney. The judges thought it to be very sweet, particularly in the use of materials.
Next up was Batak Fishing Lodge in Bulgaria by Simon Gill Architects which was very well received. In particular, the judges enjoyed its delicate, unimposing sense of scale and, as Tanya Kalinina noted, ‘you can tell that the materials were locally sourced; that it's not overdesigned. It’s just lovely’.
Casa Lude in Cehegin, Spain designed by Grupo Aranea was also of particular note; the client used the roof of his mother and sister’s house as a plot, colliding old and new elements. Aljosa Dekleva stated: "It is a very contextual building in such a chaotic yet organised way."
House Lagnö in Västra Lagnö, Sweden by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter was regarded as ‘absolutely beautiful’ and ‘very well thought out’. Aljosa Dekleva went on: "It’s very smart, especially with the roof space. Not only does it makes sense but it makes a statement. The form of the roofs are also informing the interior space."
BT House in São Paulo, Brazil by Studio Guilherme Torres was next onto the shortlist with its very simple design. Carl Turner gave his reasoning: "I really like the choice of materials. It feels like it’s properly in South America. It feels really nice and natural."
House in Nagahama, Japan by Comma Design Office impressed the judges by making good use of the plot and referencing a contemporary Japanese vernacular. Tanya Kalinina commented: "This is really sweet as it’s only 130 square metres and it feels huge. The cement panels are such a nice reference to Japanese paper screens. I think there’s a modesty but an ambition."
House-T in Miyazaki, Japan by Tsukano Architect Office was a challenging project for the judges where the architectural head collided with what a property should give back to the heart that is the street. However, as Carl Turner noted: "It’s a completely different context to what we’re used to [as London-based architects]." The project was regarded as a very strong architectural statement and a ‘conversation piece for a city’ and for that reason it received a Commendation from the judges.
We offer our warmest congratulations to those that made it through to the shortlist and our sincere gratitude to all those that participated. It is said that ‘home is where the heart is’ and the battle for that heart was extremely strong this year.
Jim Davis
WAN AWARDS Co-ordinator