RIBA Award 2022

We had a wonderful evening collecting the RIBA Award for Island Rest, with the team from Strom Architects and Eckersley O’Callaghan.

Island Rest won in the RIBA South Award 2022, the full list of winners can be found here.

Island Rest awarded RIBA South Award

We are delighted that Island Rest has been recognised by the RIBA Awards. These awards have been celebrating design and build excellence for over 50 years and are universally recognised as a hallmark for excellence.

‘It is a testament to the elegance of Island Rest that there is not much that needs to be said. It is humble in the wider landscape, its composition is ordered but relaxed, and it is controlled and yet seemingly effortless in detail. Its calm confidence puts one at ease and lets family life carry on around it.’

This year saw an interesting amendment to the entry criteria, in line with the RIBA’s ‘2030 Climate Challenge’, each project was asked to provide a year’s real, in-use energy performance data information, putting sustainability at the forefront of these awards.

 The full list of winner can be found here.

Edward Rice quoted by Daily Mail

The Daily Mail quote Edward Rice in their review of the first episode of Grand Designs: House of the Year.

The program features five of the most imaginative homes in the UK, that really push the boundaries of conventional design; Montague House was featured which Kevin McCloud describes as ‘handsome, angular and well-chiseled.’

The episode includes an interview with our Edward Rice, the architect John Pardey and the owners of the home.

The full article can be found here

Woodpeckers included in Dezeen lookbook

Really nice to see our Woodpeckers project included in the Dezeen lookbook feature, showcasing ‘10 interiors with window seats for peaceful contemplation.’ The full list can be viewed here.

Dezeen is the world's most popular and influential architecture, interiors and design online magazine.

Advice on using Reclaimed Bricks

We contributed our expert advice on using reclaimed bricks for an article by Housebuilding and Renovating Magazine. The full article offers advice and shares some helpful tips on how best to buy them for your project.

The full article is available here.

Island Rest included in Dezeen lookbook

Dezeen, the online design magazine, has featured Island Rest in their lookbook showcasing ‘10 Kitchens with breakfast bars designed by architects’ visit here for the full list.

Montague House in Architecture Today

Montague House is featured in the latest Architecture today magazine. The architect, John Pardey, is also featured in their podcast series ‘In conversation with…’ alongside Chris Loyn, where he discusses the project in more detail.

Article link

Podcast link

Island Rest features in 'The Art of Architecture'

Our Island Rest project featured in series 2, episode 6 of the TV program ‘The Art of Architecture’ by Sky Arts. The episode focused on Magnus Strom and the the work by his studio Strom Architects.

“We want to design things that last & have longevity & that can age gracefully & that is often down to both detailing and to material choices”

— Magnus Strom

Details of the episode can be found here.

Island Rest features in Grand Designs Magazine

Our Island Rest project has been included in the April edition of Grand Designs Magazine, featuring in their monthly Grand Guide article.

This month’s Grand Guide theme was ’10 Terrific Timber Homes’ – you can view the full magazine online for free here.

What does it take to build an award winning house?

We have been fortunate to have worked on several award winning buildings, this got me thinking about what it takes to differentiate a good building from an award winning building and in truth there are many elements that are critical and need to work in unison to elevate a design.

Most obviously the original architectural designs need to standout and be both inspiring and structurally sound. However, this is not enough on its own, as once the construction starts there is no guarantee a project will deliver exactly what the architect had originally proposed. There are several reasons for this, sometimes costs can escalate and due to value engineering the design details get phased out to accommodate budget changes.

The procurement flow can have a significant impact on the resulting building. Rice Projects prefers to follow the Construction Management route as we believe it gives the client the best management of the design and budget throughout. If the procurement is done through Traditional or Design and Build methods it reduces the flexibility once the construction has started and reduces the design teams involvement onsite which we find downgrades the value of the architect and design.

Collaboration is critical to a design’s success. I like to get involved at an early stage with the architect and structural engineer, this allows me to fully understand the design concept. Problems always arise onsite, that is just part of the construction process, by having a deep understanding of the design I am able to solve issues quickly, effectively, working with the design team to proactively suggest solutions that fit within the ethos of the building.

In high-end architecture the detail of a design is critical, in many projects the schemes look effortlessly simple but to achieve these pure lines it takes a lot of effort and often bespoke solutions need to be designed to achieve these. I work with a trusted team who understand my high expectations.

Understanding materials has helped me enormously, my background of carpentry has set me up to really understand the materials in more than just an academic way, I can advise aspects of design and offer solutions.

It may seem obvious, but experience also helps with the smooth running of a project onsite. I have been fortunate to work on many high caliber schemes so I understand and can preempt certain aspects of the process. I know what demanding architects need and what clients are expecting and I know that I can deliver.

Island Rest shortlisted in Build It Awards

Island Rest has been shortlisted in the Build It Awards 2020 in the category for Britain’s Best Self Build Architect or Designer for Strom Architects. The annual awards look to showcase and recognise innovative architects across the UK.

These awards are voted for by the public, with scoring done in tandem by a panel of experts.

Wallpaper include Island Rest in Architect Directory Alumni

Island Rest, and the architect Strom Architects, have been selected to feature in this years Wallpaper Architects Directory Alumni.

We worked in collaboration with Strom Architects and structural engineers Eckersley O’Callaghan on this contemporary family home, located on the Isle of Wight.

Island Rest win The Sunday Times British Homes Award 2020

We were delighted that our project. Island Rest, won the ‘Small House of the Year’ award at The Sunday Times British Homes Award 2020. We worked in collaboration with Strom Architects and Eckersley O’Callaghan on this stunning, contemporary family home on the Isle of Wight.

The awards celebrate excellence in British Homebuilding, they are set up in association between Horticulture Week, Planning, World Architecture News and World Interior News.

https://www.britishhomesawards.co.uk/results-2020/

Island Rest features in Dezeen

The Strom Architects project, Island Rest, which we completed last year has been featured in Dezeen, the online architecture and design magazine.

Canoe lake Tennis Pavilion Featured in this months Architects Journal

A Building Study on the Canoe Lake Tennis Pavilion is featured in the Architects Journal this month. This was the first commercial project for both the architects, PAD Studio, and Rice Projects.