Six Columns by 31/44 Architects has been named as the winner of RIBA House of the Year 2024, the annual award for the UK’s best new home.
Designed by Will Burges, Director of 31/44 Architects, as a family home for himself, his wife and two children, Six Columns cleverly occupies a tight urban plot in the leafy suburbs of Crystal Palace, South London.
Named after the six columns found throughout the structure of the building, the four-bedroom home echoes the proportions and materials of neighbouring terrace houses, while retailing its own individual character – with architectural influences abound, from the classical to the modern.
Watch a video of the Six Columns project below.
RIBA President Muyiwa Oki, said:
“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.
"The generosity of space belies the limitations of this small garden plot. As we look for creative and practical solutions to the housing crisis, Six Columns offers a blueprint for bespoke urban infill development.”
RIBA House of the Year 2024 Award Chair, Je Ahn, said:
“What makes a great home? Building your own home is a hugely intensive endeavour; if you are lucky enough to do it at all, you will probably only ever do it once in your life. One-off houses are as unique and varied as we are as individuals, so often producing them needs a closer understanding between the client and architect.
This philosophy of the home as a lifelong process might be a tricky concept in this fast-paced contractual world, however, Six Columns demonstrates an important message that we should all remember; your home is not a static slice of time, but continuously evolves with you.”
The RIBA House of the Year award was established in 2013 and is awarded to the best new house or house extension designed by an architect in the UK
Enter here for the RIBA UK Awards 2025 Entries close 17:00GMT Thursday 12 December.
