I thought this was an excellent survey of contemporary houses in Britain. The sixty featured, built in the last ten years, including exterior and interior photos and the author has written well-researched essays about each.
There is an interesting range of styles and until I looked through the book I didn't realise just how unique some of these award-winning homes looked. For example, ACME architects based their work on oast houses in Kent, Tonkin Liu used a disused water tower and added a secondary structure to the tower that included living areas. Lisa Shell Architects created the smallest house in the book, located on Essex coastal marshland, it sits on two legs above water with a floor area of just forty-nine square metres, at the other extreme is Hannington Farm in Northamptonshire with a floor area of 1,512 square metres.
RIBA juries considered newbuilds, conversions, extensions to existing structures and sustainability. The first 'Passive House' to be certified in Britain is included and located in the Chiltern Hills with a floor area of 175 square metres. House extensions must be a challenge for any architect, the existing property could well have restrictions on any changes. Alison Brooks Architects won 1921 RIBA awards for an elegant extension to a farmhouse in Gloucestershire.
The six houses included in the London chapter show how architects can be creative in urban areas. Chris Dyson Architects changed a former cooperage into a very spacious family home. Scotland, on its islands, has homes that have won RIBA awards, on the Isle of Tiree Denizon Works designed a unique-looking house that blends into the landscape.
The book's back pages provide a section called 'Working with architects' with some worthwhile material, followed by the contact details of all the architects featured in the book. I thought these last few pages nicely rounded out the book, especially if you aspire to commission and live in a unique home.
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