THIS IS the only private house in the North West to win a national RIBA award, one of nine houses in the UK to get the honour, only three of which are new builds.
For Stephenson a national RIBA Award is a nice accolade to have and it puts him on the long list for The Stirling.
It’s the work of Roger Stephenson, designed for a Manchester businessman, built in the middle of a road of Victorian villas in Bowdon and cost lord knows how much.
There was a huge battle to get it built in the first place with a full planning inquiry after Trafford Council flatly refused permission. The planning inspector thought otherwise ruling that it was just the sort of building they should allow.
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Because of the nature of the site all the terracing and landscaping of the grounds had to be completed before the build itself could start.
It was completed earlier this year and looks stunning.
Unfortunately the owners are not showy off types so not many inside shots. A pity as I would have loved to see more of the finishes, the views from inside, the design of the kitchen and how anyone lives in a space so perfectly crafted. Where’s the mess?
I have been round a house Stephenson designed for another client and again it was all about the materials and the finish and the flow.
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This client loved it so much he has just commissioned another which he and the builder will offer to the market as a speculative new build. It is on Carrwood, in Hale Barns, where houses look more like this - click here.
Construction work has just begun and it will be interesting to see if the top end market is finally willing to embrace contemporary design.
For Stephenson a national RIBA Award is a nice accolade to have and it puts him on the long list for big one, the internationally regarded Stirling Prize.
While the RIBA is complimentary about individual house building projects it is scathing about the standard of larger scale housing describing the design quality in this sector as “a shambles”.
Only four schemes made the national grade including Urban Splash’s Saxton scheme in Leeds and Kevin Mc Cloud’s Triangle development in Swindon designed by Glenn Howells.
You can see the full list of winners here.
Earlier this year the editor Jonathan Schofield deeply loved this new block of Chetham's School of Music by Roger Stephenson - click here.
The photographs here are from the excellent architectural photographer Daniel Hopkinson.
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