NLA London House Extension Competition 2022, Good Property Design, Don’t Move, Improve! Winners, Building Photos
Don’t Move, Improve! 2022 winners
19 May 2022
Don’t Move, Improve! 2022 competition winners
Don’t Move, Improve! 2022 Winners News
‘Little Brownings’ designed by Archmongers has been named Home of the Year 2022 in the coveted Don’t Move, Improve! Awards.
The expert jury panel have selected this year’s overall winner and five special prize winners from a shortlist of 15 entries that celebrate the newest and most innovative home improvement projects from across London.
The overall winner for 2022 – Little Brownings designed by Archmongers – is the embodiment of Don’t Move, Improve!. A three-storey, 1960s terraced house on the Dulwich Estate in Forest Hill, south London, was subtly and stylishly updated by the architects to create a ‘jewellery box’ of design features whilst also retaining its mid-century characteristics.
The judges were impressed by the exceptional attention to detail and high quality of design, whilst also retaining a sense of liveability, warmth and character throughout. The contemporary design simultaneously demonstrates a consideration for the practical use of the space, and the overall concept and materials used showcase the architect’s approach to sustainability and placemaking.
Don’t Move, Improve! judge Sebastian Wood, Founder and Managing Director of Whitby Wood commented: “This felt like the house we can all imagine ourselves in and the improvements we could all do, if only we had the right designers! – the embodiment of Don’t Move, Improve!”
The 2022 prize winners in full are:
• Home of the Year: Little Brownings, Lewisham by Archmongers
• Materiality and Craftsmanship Prize: Concrete Plinth House, Hackney by DGN Studio
• Compact Design Prize: Non-Boxy Lofty, Lewisham by Fraher & Findlay
• Unique Character Prize: Forest House, Waltham Forest by AOC Architecture
• Urban Oasis Prize: Church Road, Haringey by RUFFARCHITECTS
• Transformation Prize: Slide and Slot House, Enfield by Ashton Porter Architect
Projects featured in the Don’t Move, Improve! awards demonstrate exceptional innovation, creativity and originality as well as high quality design that dramatically improves liveability of the space. The projects selected are also commended for their environmental consideration in the materials used and the longevity and efficiency of the building.
Don’t Move, Improve! 2022 Winners in Detail
LITTLE BROWNINGS BY ARCHMONGERS: HOME OF THE YEAR 2022
Little Brownings in Lewisham by Archmongers:
photograph from architects
Judge’s comments
“This overall winner strikes the balance between practical and playful with contemporary touches such as clay worktops in the kitchen and a secret study on the landing. But there isn’t a whiff of pretension. It’s a much-loved family home that oozes warmth and character.” – Anna White, Property and Lifestyle Journalist
“This felt like the house we can all imagine ourselves in and the improvements we could all do if only we had the right designers! – the embodiment of don’t move improve.” – Sebastian Wood, Managing Director, Whitby Wood
“One of my highlights of the competition. This home delighted me from start to finish. A beautiful space with a level of detailing that surpassed my expectations. Everything in the house has a reason for existing, some things are playful, others beautiful or functional, but they all make you happy.” – Kunle Barker, Property Expert and Broadcaster
Prize winner comments
“The durability of our concept and materials demonstrates our approach to sustainability and placemaking. These values have underpinned our work on Little Brownings, which sits within the renowned Dulwich Estate. Our design instils a freshness to the estate, but is driven by a sensitivity to its original vision, the context of each space, and the people that occupy it.
The quality of detail of the Little Brownings project exceeds what you normally see in a modestly-sized space. Our original and enduring design ideas culminate throughout the property to unlock its true potential and help its occupants flourish.” – Johan Hybschmann, Partner, Archmongers Architects
CONCRETE PLINTH HOUSE BY DGN STUDIO: MATERIALITY AND CRAFTSMANSHIP PRIZE
Concrete Plinth House, Hackney, by DGNS:
photography © Building Narratives
Judge’s comments
“The beautiful use of raw materials and simple colours combined with structure as the architectural form in a domestic setting has resulted in a house oozing elegance & warmth.” – Sebastian Wood, Managing Director, Whitby Wood
“Structural and interior architecture meet in perfect harmony to produce a space that is inviting and homely despite the materials used in the build.” – Kunle Barker, Property Expert and Broadcaster
Prize winner comments
“We were very interested in the way the project would be built and wanted the architectural response to our clients brief to clearly reflect this. A simple principle of a timber superstructure on a concrete substructure allowed us to focus on the inherent opportunities these techniques present – such as the depth, rhythm and setting out of the timber frame, and the different textures of the concrete (ground back for horizontal surfaces, smooth for vertical surfaces). The great skill of the craftsmen involved is very much on display.” – Daniel Goodacre and Geraldine Ng, DGN Studio
NON-BOXY LOFTY BY FINDLAY ARCHITECTS: COMPACT DESIGN PRIZE
Non Boxy Lofty in Lewisham by Fraher & Findlay:
photograph from architects
Judge’s comments
“Remember your first London flat? Well it was probably nothing like this. Non-Boxy Lofty is a Tardis painted in the most achingly fashionable tones Little Greene has to offer. Rather than sticking the bedrooms up in the newly converted attic, the kitchen takes pride of place, bathed in light from roof lanterns and with views of the urban scape. You would definitely find me in this kitchen for the after party.” – Anna White, Property and Lifestyle Journalist
“This extraordinarily imaginative use of a loft space turned a small poky flat into a space that seems bigger than its footprint and more luxurious than its surroundings suggest.” – Kunle Barker, Property Expert and Broadcaster
Prize winner comments
“We were really limited on the footprint of the building – we only had the existing attic footprint and a possible standard loft extension volume to turn a dark and compromised 1 bedroom flat into a luxurious 2 bedroom flat – we had to focus on compact design to make the spaces feel as large as possible.” – Elizabeth Webster, Design Director & Sindy Took, Project Manager, Fraher and Findlay
FOREST HOUSE BY AOC ARCHITECTURE: UNIQUE CHARACTER PRIZE
Forest House, rear facade, by AOC:
photography © David Grandorge
Judge’s comments
“Unique from start to finish. A home that has truly been designed for the family that will live there. Delightful to see a family really put their stamp on their home. Brave and beautiful in equal measures.” – Kunle Barker, Property Expert and Broadcaster
Prize winner comments
“The Victorian semi is a very common house type in London, with well-proportioned rooms and substantial construction worth celebrating. By wrapping it with contrasting spaces that capture the experiential delights of the Forest, a new combined character is made that is both very familiar and utterly unique.” – Gill Lambert, Director, AOC Architecture
CHURCH ROAD BY RUFFARCHITECTS: URBAN OASIS PRIZE
Church Road, Highgate Conservation Area, Haringey, North London
photography © Tim Soar
Judge’s comments
“A true oasis in the middle of North London. The design leaves the outside, out, and inside, in. Intelligently and thoughtfully combining the two.” – Kunle Barker, Property Expert and Broadcaster
Prize winner comments
“Our project places the family’s interaction with nature at its heart. Each space has been carefully configured to reach out and engage with the existing mature landscape, the ancient oaks which provide a sense of timelessness, a sense of perspective and reflection. We had the opportunity to form an urban oasis and the client supported the reconfiguration to ensure that the external spaces were as much part of a sequence of experiences in the everyday as possible.” – Paul Ruff, Director, RUFFARCHITECTS
SLIDE AND SLOT HOUSE BY ASHTON PORTER ARCHITECTS: TRANSFORMATION PRIZE
Slide and Slot House in Enfield by Ashton Porter Architects:
photograph © Andy Stagg
Judge’s comments
“The front of the house hid the extent of the architectural interventions internally and to the rear. This project made me smile; it made me smile a lot. A brilliant example of how to create a wonderful family home.” – Kunle Barker, Property Expert and Broadcaster
Prize winner comments
“The original modest workers cottage was unmodernised as its single room deep plan could not be easily developed using conventional vernacular language and has been transformed by the use of an innovative contemporary design approach.
The combination of contemporary materials, form and light which interweave intricately with the existing vernacular domestic language to make a cohesive and elegant family home.” – Nick Pocock, Associate, Ashton Porter Architects
Previously on e-architect:
2 March 2022
Don’t Move, Improve! 2022 shortlist
NLA ‘Don’t Move, Improve!’ Competition Winners, England, UK – Home Design Contest News
London’s best home renovations – Don’t Move, Improve! 2022 shortlist announced
15 renovation projects have been shortlisted as some of London’s best home improvements for the 2022 edition of New London Architecture’s (NLA) annual competition Don’t Move, Improve!, celebrating the most innovative home improvement projects from across London.
Don’t Move, Improve! 2022 shortlist
A Tuscan Veranda by Turner Architects:
photograph © Adam Scott
Pergola House in Lee Manor Conservation Area by Benjamin Wilkes:
photograph © Billy Bolton
Transitions by Red Squirrel Architects:
photograph © Adelina Iliev
Coffer House in Southwark by Proctor and Shaw:
photograph © Nick Deardon
Curve Appeal in Southwark by nimtim architects:
photograph © Megan Taylor
Artist Studio Conversion, kitchen:
photograph © Architect and photographer VATRAA
Pink House in North Kensington by Oliver Leech Architects:
photograph © Ståle Eriksen
Bay Window House, Clapton, Hackney:
photography © Gundry Ducker and Jim Stephenson
Shoji Apartment in Camden by Proctor and Shaw:
photograph © Ståle Eriksen
Don’t Move, Improve! 2022 competition judging panel, chaired by NLA’s Director Amy Chadwick Till:
- Phil Coffey, Director, Coffey Architects
- Anna White, Property, Business and Lifestyle Journalist
- Sebastian Wood, Director, Whitby Wood
- Kunle Barker, Property Expert and Broadcaster
https://dontmoveimprove.london/
#DontMoveImprove2022
Instagram: @dont.move.improve
Previously on e-architect:
NLA House Extension Contest Winner 2018
Tonkin Liu’s ‘Sun Rain Rooms’ revealed as the winner of ‘Don’t Move, Improve!’ 2018
‘Sun Rain Rooms’, designed by Tonkin Liu has been crowned London’s best and most innovative home extension as overall winner of New London Architecture’s (NLA) annual ‘Don’t Move, Improve!’ competition:
photo : Edmund Sumner
Sun Rain Rooms by Tonkin Liu winner of Don’t Move, Improve! 2018
Second Prize was awarded to Dewsbury Road in Brent, by O’Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects:
photo : Rory Gardiner
Brent home extension by O’Sullivan Skoufoglou Architects wins 2nd prize at Don’t Move, Improve! 2018
House Extension Contest Shortlist 2016
NLA – New London Architecture News
Don’t Move, Improve! Shortlist
London Fields home extension:
photo © Matt Clayton Photography
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Design: Rado Iliev Architect
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