House Lessans was named as the UK's best house of 2019 by the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Located on an old farmstead in County Down, the house was designed for a semi-retired couple and their grown up children who visit and stay.

Taking inspiration from the local agricultural vernacular, the house is conceived as two simple volumes arranged next to an existing barn to create a sense of enclosure.

One volume contains three bedrooms, the other, a kitchen-dining area and a double-height living room. The entrance is positioned between.

Slight changes in floor level further separate the functions.

Externally, white-rendered walls and standing seam zinc roofs meet along a datum line set out on the heads of the external openings. The datum is continued on the inside and divides grey painted concrete block walls at lower level and white-painted surfaces above to reflect daylight. 

Large format expanses of glass frame views of the immediate landscape and rolling hills beyond.

Simple details and construction methods were deployed throughout to meet the client’s tight budget. The result is a home built for just £1,425 per square metre (£335,000 in total) which is comparable to social housing costs.