In the world of architecture, winning any RIBA awards are among the apogee of accolades. In other words, it doesn’t come easy. And yet, Niall McLaughlin Architects, the London-based firm Niall McLaughlin Architects was able to accomplish the feat with a prefabriated home in the UK. Historic and modern coexist in perfect harmony on the grounds of a Grade II–listed Victorian home on the Isle of Wight off England’s southern coast. The newest addition to the estate is Saltmarsh House, a prefabricated home designed by Niall McLaughlin Architects. The striking structure takes inspiration from the glasshouses that formerly sat in the kitchen gardens of the 1860s house and looks out onto a tidal march off the north east coast of the island.
The just-over-1160-square-foot guest accommodations consists of a long open dining/living hall that’s accompanied by three pod-like sections including a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. The firm connected the pavilion to its beautiful surroundings through the materials, painting the steel-frame a golden hue, lining the pyramidal roofs with copper, and constructing the deck with a soft, silvered timber. Open to the landscape thanks to large glass windows, the home allows the occupants to feel immersed in nature.
The firm also wanted the home to feel light—as though it was floating above the meadow of wild grasses. The architects accomplished this by incorporating a lightweight trussed roof and thin quadripartite tubular steel columns, which add to the sense of transparency. A slightly cantilevered verandah surrounds the home, providing outdoor living space.
Sustainability was also top of mind for the architects. Saltmarsh House was built to Passivhaus standard, an international energy performance standard. The frame, insulated roof and floor panels, and kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom pods were all prefabricated off-site and the triple-glazed windows can be lowered for natural ventilation. Louvered roof lights help control solar radiation during the day. The building’s heating is provided by an air source heat pump, which was placed in an enclosure away from the house. A custom copper cylinder at the rear of the building hides the hydraulic interface, expansion tank, pumps and hot water tank and blends beautifully into the architecture.
The elegant home has attracted quite a bit of attention and accolades, including winning a 2023 RIBA National Award and 2023 South RIBA Regional Award. And now the project is one of six homes named to the shortlist for RIBA House of the Year. “The design and execution of Saltmarsh House is faultless, a testament to the power of good architecture and the role that it can play in creating inspiring and sustainable structures,” noted the organization when announcing the nomination.
Saltmarsh House isn’t the only project by Niall McLaughlin Architects that RIBA has recognized this year. The firm’s WongAvery Gallery at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, was shortlisted for a RIBA East Award and last year, the firm won the RIBA Stirling Prize for the New Library at Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge. The RIBA House of the Year 2023 will be announced later this year.
Head to House & Garden to view other top contenders for RIBA’s House of the Year competition.