A highly adaptable family home in south London designed by 31/44 Architects has been named RIBA House of the Year 2024.
The RIBA has named Six Columns, a family home in Crystal Palace, south London, as RIBA House of the Year 2024. Designed by Will Burges, Director of 31/44 Architects, as a home for himself, his wife and two children, the two-storey building occupies a tight urban site and is intended to adapt and evolve over time with the family’s changing needs.
Named after the six columns that form the building’s primary structure, the two-storey dwelling echoes the proportions and materials of nearby terraced housing, while retaining its own individual character. Discrete and considerate to its neighbours, the house nevertheless incorporates a range of subtle design flourishes. For instance, its brick façade and terracotta tile roof align with the rest of the street, while concrete beams and a statement veined marble panel by the front door add a touch of bespoke grandeur.
Inside, the layout makes the most of the wedge-shaped site, creating a functional domestic environment that can be easily adapted for future requirements. The entrance hall serves as the central hub, connecting the home’s various zones. To the left, a light and airy kitchen diner blends modern finishes, such as full-height sliding windows and sleek white granite countertops, with a distinct raw aesthetic, exemplified by oiled, unpainted pine cupboards and drawers.
To the right of the entrance, the layout swaps open-plan design for smaller rooms that prioritise storage and privacy. The living room is characterised by thick exposed pine walls that double as shelving units and serve as a wunderkammer (or cabinet of curiosities) to showcase the family’s collections and memories. Designed to feel snug in winter, the room can also be opened up via a sliding door to the kitchen during the summer months. In addition to the self-contained bedroom suite on the ground floor, two further bedrooms are located on the second floor, and a fourth nestled within a raised roof box in the attic.
Self-finished materials are used throughout, intentionally challenging the layering and ‘covering-up’ of contemporary construction. Exposed painted brickwork and spruce pine panels for fittings and joinery not only provide visual warmth, but can also be adjusted with ease in the future.
Outside, the house comprises three separate garden spaces, including a low-maintenance, west-facing rainwater garden that channels water from all the roofs into a steel tank to prevent overflow and promote reuse.
Commenting on the scheme, 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 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.”
Click here to see all the shortlisted projects for RIBA House of the Year 2024.
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