House Lessans by McGonigle McGrath wins RIBA House of the Year 2019

“House Lessans demuestra que la arquitectura que mejora la vida no tiene que costarle a la tierra. Ejecutado con increíble claridad y moderación, McGonigle McGrath ha utilizado materiales simples y baratos para crear un hogar verdaderamente a medida que resuene con sus propietarios y su contexto. Incluso con los presupuestos más ajustados, House Lessans muestra que la casa de sus sueños, diseñada por un arquitecto talentoso, puede ser una realidad”.

Presidente de RIBA, Alan Jones.

The family home, House Lessans, designed by Belfast studio McGonigle McGrath, which stands on the site of an old farmstead in County Down, was chosen over six other homes

The home, which is firmly rooted in its landscape, has two blocks echo the barn and other agricultural buildings they sit alongside. Inside, its minimal rooms all have huge windows which take advantage of the views outside.

McGonigle McGrath have managed to design a home of outstanding quality on a cost just €391,000 (£335,000). The project answer the needs of a semi-retired couple and their children, who occasionally visit them.

Basic building materials, cost-saving hacks and the simple arrangement of rooms within have meant that every penny of the client's budget has been carefully and well spent.
 

A beautiful new house sits within a carefully orchestrated architectural ensemble formed of an existing barn, a new forecourt, a discrete bedroom block with private courtyard, and expansive living spaces which look out onto a wonderful green rolling landscape.

The architects have shown remarkable restraint and skill in creating a family home that exudes calm, dignity, and generosity. Their skill in editing and making is exemplary. This achievement is all the more remarkable given the overall budget for the project. The house belies any notion that an expensive budget is somehow the gateway to excellence.

It is clear from the resolution and sophistication of an apparently simple architectural language both at a detail and a conceptual level that these architects through their experience and skill continue to find great beauty in the daily routine of living.

RIBA