Shortlist for the AR House awards 2018

This year’s shortlist of 16 projects include houses from the UK, Ireland, Spain, Scandinavia, Canada, Latin America, Iran, Vietnam, India, Nepal and Japan

The private house occupies a unique position in both the history of architecture and human imagination. Beyond its core function of shelter, it is an object of fantasy, a source of delight, a talisman and a testing ground.

AR House recognises innovation and excellence in the design of dwellings. As the one commission that virtually all architects tackle at some stage in their careers, the house is still an important rite of passage for young designers. Offering the potential for genuine innovation, it remains critical to the ferment and crystallisation of new architectural ideas.

This year’s judging panel included the Chilean architect Mathias Klotz, Belgium-based architect Marie-José van Hee and British architect Amin Taha. Over 200 entries were received from around the globe and considered by the judges, who were looking for ingenious and future-leading houses that seek to push the type forward.

‘Should a house be more about an idea than about the home?’, challenged Klotz, while Marie-José van Hee ‘was looking more at the process, than the architecture’. Amin Taha believed it was important to look for ‘an exemplar of structural elegance’, and questioned whether ‘the tradition of acknowledging political emergency housing’ should be continued in this year’s AR House shortlist.

The winner and commended projects will be announced online at the end of the month and published in the July/August issue of The Architectural Review.