2023 TIDA International Home of the Year

Winner: 

TIDA International Home of the Year

Wallflower Architecture + Design – Singapore

Situated at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, the brief for this home aimed to create a sanctuary or a retreat, inspired by the likes of a retirement respite.

An uninterrupted and expansive porte-cochère at the entrance, offer glimpses into the flora and fauna established within. 

The home centres itself around a biophilic courtyard, with a fine collection of Frangipani trees elegantly orchestrated across each floor. 

The architectural timber sun-screens and travertine stone seek to complement this green composition.

The inherent nature of a central courtyard design, is to constantly tie each space back to the outdoors again. 

Whilst gifting these spaces with an abundance of natural daylight and greenery, the hope, is that one can pause, and possibly evoke timelessness, through memorabilia ignited again.

The principle was to fuse both greenery and outdoor spaces, into a rich and restrained palette of materiality to create a balance between warmth and tactility. 

Porosity from the full-height glass doors softens the transition between indoor-outdoor, and enhances the openness of the entire ground floor. 

The space, while being generous yet enveloping, stimulates a certain slowness of both mind and movement.

See more

Judges' comments:

A clever floor plan arrangement pushes the building to the perimeter and consolidates, maximises and centralises the garden, to create a celebration of life in Singapore. 

The gardens allow the spaces to feel generous, as the rooms are defined not only by their interior extent, but the sum of the interior and adjacent exterior spaces. 

The L-shape floor plan is rigid, and the connection to the garden alleviates that experience – the outdoor seating area becomes the casual living centre of the home.

Runner-up: 

TIDA International Home of the Year

Studio Guilherme Torres – São Paulo, Brazil

Located in the middle of the Atlantic Forest in São Paulo state, this home stands with its simple lines and imposing volumes . 

Far from the big city, the country house has escapism as its mantra: every detail brings a relaxing atmosphere, where residents can disconnect and enjoy nature in its purest and simplest form.  

The project's design concept started with a large block, which evolved volumetrically and was fragmented, filling the entire plot of land. 

The five large white cubic blocks that mark the project were then created, each of them an independently functioning suite. 

Thus, the privacy and comfort of the family, consisting of a young couple with two teenage children, are preserved. 

A large wall made of rammed earth, made with sand and earth from the site itself, surrounds the entire house and also takes part in the structure. This creates a unique identity, for there is nothing like it anywhere in the world, both in aesthetics - the colouring and spacing of the layers - and in size. 

To make this method possible, due to the size and proportion of the construction, high quality adhesives were used to increase the strength and durability of the material. 

The house is made entirely of CLT (Cross Laminated Timber), which forms the slab and all the structural part of the project, substituting concrete for raw wood. 

Judges' comments:

This Brazilian residence of single storey responds by offering independent self-contained blocks for flexible family use within earth walled communal living spaces that connect to nature.

A clear conceptual point of departure; implemented with rigour and restraint. 

The building in its effortless expression allows the communal spaces to be the celebrated events in the floor plan. 

The precision of the building’s geometries is offset through the use of sustainable and tactile materials in rammed earth and CLT.

Finalist: 

TIDA International Home of the Year

Abramson Architects – Brentwood, California

Located on a quiet cul-de-sac, this three-storey residence reflects the owner's deep connection to art and nature. 

The owner’s extensive collection is strategically located inside the home and throughout multiple landscaped areas. 

From inside, architectural gardens and pockets of lush greenery suggest that the home is woven into the graded topography. 

These outdoor intrusions soften the transitions from the common areas into the intimate spaces on the South and the utilitarian zone to the West.

Judges' comments:

This hilltop residence of three stacked storeys responds by integrating minimalist architecture, interiors, landscaping, and art for a client who is an interior designer and photographer.

Finalist: 

TIDA International Home of the Year

ANX / Aaron Neubert Architects – Sierra Pelona, California

Weary from years of two-hour work commutes, the owners engaged ANX to develop a new residence within a mile of their Southern California manufacturing company’s facility and offices.

Interested in maintaining a similar connection to the land as their current residence, they selected an undeveloped rugged sandstone terrain bisected by a dry river and dotted with native yucca, oak, sagebrush, and beavertail cactus as the site for the new home.

In response to the challenge of creating spaces to view, measure, and engage with the diversity of the surrounding semi-arid landscape, the new home is open and transparent, immersed in natural light, and visually integrated with the surrounding Sierra Pelona Mountains. 

See more

Finalist: 

TIDA International Home of the Year

Borrmeister Architects – Christchurch, New Zealand

This renovation honours the home's heritage credentials while developing connections to the outdoors via skeletal structures and a garden room.

Originally built in 1899, the existing villa had been previously altered with a mid-2000s addition.

The brief called for minor internal alterations and refurbishment to the existing home and a completely new addition consisting of a sitting / ‘garden room’, laundry, guest WC, and storage room to accommodate a growing young family.

A key vision for the addition and alterations was to further develop the connection of the house to the surrounding gardens and northern outdoor living. 

Natural, durable, robust materials that would age gracefully without a high degree of maintenance were chosen.

See more

Finalist: 

TIDA International Home of the Year

Condon Scott Architects – Bendigo, New Zealand

With the site nestled amongst vineyards in the foothills of the Dunstan mountain range, the owners were seeking to create a permanent home that capitalised on the impressive view westwards to the Pisa Range and below to Lake Dunstan. 

They were looking for a design that could bring all day sunlight into living spaces with a clean and uncluttered feel, while capturing the huge surrounding panorama.

This brief for a minimal form was distilled down to a floor plane and a roof plane, with fully glazed walls between. 

The idea was to create an open pavilion that appeared to almost float over the rocky site, allowing occupants to look up and down the valley in its entirety.

See more

Judges' comments:

The home has been precisely and carefully Inserted into a demanding environment and rich landscape. 

It acknowledges it is foreign, man-made, a pavilion – transparent on all sides to take in and celebrate the surroundings. 

The materiality reinforces these ideas; and an acknowledgement that to belong in on this site it needs to be robust, tough and uncompromising.

Finalist: 

TIDA International Home of the Year

Daniel Lomma Design – Perth, Australia

The original home on this long narrow site did not flow or work well for the family of five that had bought it a few years ago. 

But instead of demolishing the home and starting from scratch, it was decided that a renovation would lead to the be best possible outcome.

The starting point of the design was creating street level access to give the home the street appeal it previously lacked, as well as easy site access to the garage and to the entry for guests.

With the existing main living area located at the back of the block on the river, there is almost a 70 metre walk from the home's entry to this point.

To reduce the perception of this distance, a series of interesting focal points such as sunken courtyards, river views, and the swimming pool area, adds interest and makes the journey a pleasant experience.

See more

Judges' comments:

This  waterfront residence of three storeys responds through creative adaptive reuse and additions to overcome functionality and enhance owner liveability for extended family use.

The substantial renovation project has successfully overcome the site challenges and transformed the existing property to create an impressive and cohesive home.

Finalist: 

TIDA International Home of the Year

Fowler Homes Auckland South – New Zealand

This inviting architecturally designed home sits across two levels and is ideally situated on a challenging site.

The wedge-shaped site slopes quickly down to a creek, and so required retaining, while the layout of the home was split between two pavilions, angled to follow the side boundaries.

Thoughtful design makes the most of the northern aspect to  maximise solar gain, while still providing privacy  from a vacant building site next door.

The barn-style structure is appropriately clad in a combination of low maintenance aluminium weatherboards, vertical oak boards and stone.

See more

Finalist: 

TIDA International Home of the Year

La Firme – Montreal, Canada

This dramatic transformation and adaptive re-use project has created an attractive and functional condo living space in a historic mid-19th-century building in the heart of Montreal’s trendy Plateau Mont-Royal district. 

With a rich history as a textile mill and a Campbell’s soup factory, the intervention has reinvented the original floor space as a modern living space, reflective of the passions of its occupants.

In striking a harmonious balance between  historical roots and  modern form, La Firme has applied a design ethos focused on the careful preservation of the building's original architecture. 

As much of the original structure as possible has been left exposed, including massive BC fir timber beams, brick walls, and structural arches that serve to delineate boundaries within the interior. 

Collectively, the retained elements serve as a counterbalance to the infusion of more modern elements, characterised by white oak construction that serves to organise the space. 

Finalist: 

TIDA International Home of the Year

Mcmahon and Nerlich – South Melbourne, Australia

In this renovation, a red-brick and terracotta roofed Edwardian home has been radically transformed into one of light and renewed spatial flow.

The original home had badly deteriorated, and had a layout from a time that ignored solar orientation and connections to the outdoors, resulting in a dark damp interior.

The renovation not only floods natural light into the addition, but reworks the original heritage structure, introducing light and garden views into the heart of the home, and improving thermal mass.

See more

Judges' comments:

A sensitive but bold addition to an existing historic structure. 

The lightness and contemporary feel to the new building element materials contrast with the old existing red brick, while the warmer wood internally links the macro components as a cohesive thread and experience. 

The kit of parts becomes the aesthetic through the expressed tectonic assembly of the building elements.

Finalist: 

TIDA International Home of the Year

MU Architecture with JS Bourdages Architecture – Quebec, Canada

This home reveals its architecture by degrees, with a stone facade giving way to bright, spacious interiors, while a cantilevered pool reaches out to the lake.

Inspired by a bird’s unfolded wing, the residence’s distinctive, undulating, and architecturally conceived roof follows the volumes of its interior spaces. 

Owing to a real structural prowess, a reinforced concrete formwork allows the swimming pool to cantilever out 4.8m. 

A true extension of the main level terrace, the infinity pool terminates with a glass panel that creates the illusion of the pool extending into the lake.

See more

Judges' comments:

Using the topography stepping down, this top down house allows for the roof to become ‘more-than’ – it is brave in its design and application – opening vistas and volumes for the principle living spaces of the home. 

Whereas the living spaces are for celebrating, the bedrooms are for retreating.

Finalist: 

TIDA International Home of the Year

Robert M Gurney Architect – Virginia, USA

Shifting volumes and planes define this new house, located in a leafy suburb of Washington, DC.  

An ambitious brief required large spaces for group gatherings and intimate spaces for personal productive activities. 

Spaces designed for exercise and wellness are juxtaposed to spaces designed for relaxation and contemplation.

The spaces are organised with a conceptual clarity separating private and public zones. Movement within and between spaces is celebrated and flow between the indoors and outdoors is seamless.

Judges' comments:

This is an exquisitely crafted home, with its apparently simple combination of blocks also reflected in the precise nature of its landscape design.

The selection of a sloping site has allowed the large scale of the home to be disguised – with a significant proportion of its structure built into the slope.

Finalist: 

TIDA International Home of the Year

Turner Road Architecture – Waikato, New Zealand

An expansive site with panoramic views provided the perfect blank canvas for a bespoke design to meet the needs of a family of five in rural Waikato.

While making a striking architectural statement in the landscape, the home's use of raw texturally rich materials, and an earthy colour palette complements the surrounding environment.

Making the most of the north-east aspect, the main living area, open plan kitchen, living and dining spaces all face towards a vista of established trees and foliage.

Sustainability was a key consideration, with the soaring glazed wall on the north-eastern elevation not only designed for the views but also to invite the sun in to warm the interior during winter months.

See more

Story by: Trendsideas