The winners of the thirteenth Architizer A+Awards have been introduced! Waiting for subsequent season? Keep updated by subscribing to our A+Awards E-newsletter.
Countryside homes in the UK are usually identified for his or her shut relationship with nature and their conventional textures, which replicate the historical past and native tradition of rural areas. Nonetheless, the growing reputation of up to date structure has begun to affect the design of homes in these areas too. This shift in the direction of modern types goals to mix progressive design with the present pure panorama, making a stability between progress and preservation.
Up to date countryside structure additionally emphasizes a stability between respecting its environment and incorporating trendy performance, which frequently ends in distinctive and progressive residential buildings. There are a lot of wonderful examples of this architectural evolution, showcasing how trendy design can coexist with the agricultural surroundings and respect its conventional roots whereas embracing new technological and aesthetic developments.
One such instance is Mill Disguise, a contemporary nation home designed by Poulson Structure and situated within the village of Melbourne, Cambridgeshire. The venture stands out with its sculptural kind, ecological sensitivity, and progressive use of supplies. The design was awarded because the In style Alternative Winner within the Residential Personal Home (L 4000 – 6000 sq ft) class for the thirteenth Architizer A+Awards.
An Distinctive Up to date Countryside Residence
 
Mill Disguise by Poulson Structure, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom | In style Alternative Winner, Personal Home (L 4000 – 6000 sq ft), thirteenth Architizer A+Awards
Mill Disguise is an “distinctive home within the countryside” that obtained planning approval underneath the 2019 Nationwide Planning Coverage Framework (NPPF) paragraph 79 in 2021. In keeping with RIBA, acquiring permission by means of Paragraph 79 is a tough course of. To be permitted, a proposal’s design have to be “of outstanding high quality,” that means it ought to be “actually excellent or progressive, reflecting the best requirements in structure, and contributing to improved design requirements in rural areas.”
However this additionally presents architects an opportunity to innovate with housing designs, making them distinctive for rural environments. An instance of that is Mill Disguise, in-built 2023 by its architect for private use, showcasing distinctive integration with its setting.
Design Strategy and Panorama Integration

 
Mill Disguise by Poulson Structure, Cambridgeshire, England, UK | In style Alternative Winner, Residential Personal Home (L 4000 – 6000 sq ft), thirteenth Architizer A+Awards
The constructing encompasses a monolithic sculptural kind that consolidates all of the facilities sometimes present in a rustic dwelling, diverging from conventional types additionally sited inside a pure wetland panorama. Its design attracts inspiration from varied countryside homes and buildings which are excellent examples worldwide and all through historical past, with a selected nod to Andrea Palladio’s Sixteenth-century Villa La Rotonda (aka Villa Capra), and, extra modern, the massive scale panorama sculptures of the American minimalist artist Richard Serra.
The exterior sculptural kind is expressed by means of Corten metal rainscreen cladding, the place the metal panels are folded at corners and round openings, with hid help techniques and minimal joints, roughly 340 panels that fuse by means of oxidation. This use of weathered metal not solely gives a sturdy and low-maintenance exterior but additionally creates a uncooked, material-driven aesthetic. In reality, the construction’s monumental presence and the tactile qualities of its weathered metal floor recall the work of Richard Serra, whose large-scale metal sculptures equally command area by means of kind, weight, and materials integrity. Like Serra’s works, the home creates a distinction between materials and panorama.
Additionally, the Corten weathering metal was regionally made by workshop groups identified by the architect, who was additionally the shopper, proprietor, and occupier.
In the meantime, the panorama and ecological range of the positioning impressed a design that harmonizes with the environment, enhancing and lengthening the habitat for the bordering RSPB (Royal Society for the Safety of Birds) Nature Reserve.
Complicated Minimalism


Moreover, the home has wonderful airtightness, insulation above requirements, a single air-source warmth pump behind cladding, a mechanical air flow with warmth restoration system, spacious plant rooms, skinny movie photovoltaics, and passive photo voltaic shading. It’s easy sq. design enhances these options, isn’t it so cool?
Central to the proposal is a sublime, trendy dwelling set inside a pure, largely undisturbed panorama, emphasizing minimalism over complexity. The constructing’s orientation maximizes pure gentle, with the plan’s diagonals aligned with the cardinal factors, permitting daylight to light up all 4 sides all through the day. A colonnade alongside the southeast and southwest elevations gives very important photo voltaic shading and enhances the area.
Additionally, the format of the ground plan and inside areas was designed to help long-term residing and adaptability for future generations, with minimal inside buildings and glued parts, aiming to create a sustainable, adaptable dwelling.
The winners of the thirteenth Architizer A+Awards have been introduced! Waiting for subsequent season? Keep updated by subscribing to our A+Awards E-newsletter.
 
			 
		    













