RIBA Manser Medal 2011. HOUSING

RIBA Manser Medal 2011

The Manser Medal 2011 winner is Hampstead Lane, London, by Duggan Morris Architects.

Originally built in 1968 by an architect couple who lived and worked there until 1992, this Brutalist-style house had undergone unsympathetic renovation and faced demolition until it was spotted by the current owners, another architect couple, who saw the potential of the house and commissioned Duggan Morris Architects to entirely redesign the interior of the house, the garden and roof garden, and to restore other details of the building.

Duggan Morris Architects has created a delightful contemporary home with a strong connection between the living spaces and the main garden and roof garden. The architects removed the two main supporting cross walls – and the maze of rooms within them – replacing them with steel beams and columns to create more space in the main living area and master bedroom, which now look straight on to the gardens. The windows and doors were carefully renovated and redesigned and the concrete walls re-exposed to celebrate the original house's design.

The prestigious Manser Medal 2011 is for the best newly designed house or major extension in the UK in association with HSBC Private Bank. The presentation of the award took place at a ceremony at the RIBA in London, hosted by broadcaster Kirsty Wark, where the winner received a prize of £10,000 and a specially commissioned trophy designed by artist Petr Wiegl.