What is the language of extraordinary architecture? Perhaps it's spoken in the dance of light across polished concrete, or whispered through grass rooftops that dissolve buildings into hillsides. It might be found in the dialogue between traditional Cotswold stone and modernist glass panels, or in the quiet rebellion of copper cladding, weathering gracefully amid Cornwall's wild seascape.
These properties represent the pinnacle of architectural innovation, recognised by RIBA, Architect of the Year and LABC Building Excellence. From a Napoleonic fortress to an unassuming barn (from the outside, at least), visionary designers have reimagined these spaces while honouring their heritage. These remarkable structures demonstrate that a building can be both shelter and statement – practical in purpose, yet exceptional in execution.
Elberta Barn, Essex
Just west of the Dedham Vale AONB, you'll find what was once a "glorious storeroom for bicycles and rowboats," according to the owner of Elberta Barn – a gallery and museum curator turned landscape gardener. Now, this building of humble origins has been transformed into a lived-in art exhibition in a green pocket by the Suffolk-Essex border. Surrounded by the meadows, woodland and streams that inspired some of the most celebrated English landscape painters (Thomas Gainsborough, John Constable), Elberta Barn is a collaboration between the owner and architect Patrick Lynch (creator of the widely acclaimed Marsh View in Norfolk). The result – a RIBA East and a RIBA East Conservation award.
Verte, Devon
Sweeping into view on approach, this RIBA award-winning masterpiece – made entirely of wood – rises among Chevithorne Barton's celebrated oaks with elegant defiance. Designed to sit in harmony with the land, Verte’s clean lines and angles of larch cladding (sourced from the surrounding estate) fan outward from its hillside perch. Inside, cathedral ceilings and spalted staircases create rhythm and movement. Light filters through wraparound windows that place you eye-level with the surrounding trees’ resident wildlife. And come evening, the circular fireplace glows, owl calls echoing between branches.
Moku, Cornwall
Crowned National Winner of the Best Individual New Home category at the LABC Building Excellence Awards 2024, Moku disrupts coastal conventions with Japandi minimalism amid Atlantic drama. Arco2 crafted a "healthy building" that echoes barn typology while embracing passive design principles, with skylit mezzanines floating above a nucleal living space. There are no coastal clichés here; instead, fluted oak walls and polished copper create a textural dialogue beneath elliptical lighting. The charcoal kitchen performs as protagonist, while outside, an Atlantic-facing hot tub witnesses weather in all moods.
Leopoldina, Devon
Designed by John Nash, architect to the Prince Regent, this Italianate manor is one of England's finest examples of picturesque architecture. Inspired by the farmhouses depicted in 17th-century paintings of the Roman countryside, it was formerly the stables to Sandridge Park, on an estate once owned by Sir Walter Raleigh. In the early-2000s, architect Fiona McLean (of award-winning McLean Quinlan) ushered Leopoldina into the 21st century; her holistic approach and love of simplicity resulting in a modern and practical family home that retained the essence of Nash's original design. For her efforts, a shortlisting at the Architect of the Year Awards.
Found Tower, Suffolk
Originally built in the 1800s to defend against Napoleonic forces, Found Tower is now an inviting, RIBA award-winning Martello tower that belies its original purpose. Entry begins with ascension; climb a flight of steel stairs to a first-floor snug where firewood awaits. At the top, discover 360-degree views of the Suffolk coastline through glass walls that replace former cannon positions. Head downstairs from the first floor, and natural light floods the three sumptuous bedrooms through angular drilled holes in the fortress’s three-metre walls, while camera obscura projections cast views of the outside, in.
Quantum, Norfolk
Rising from agricultural origins near Norwich, this RIBA award-winning barn transformation defies convention by eschewing rustic nostalgia for bold architectural precision. A monolithic concrete core houses three intimate sleeping quarters, creating dramatic height over the open-plan living space and indoor swimming pool on either side. The industrial materiality – exposed steel framework, raw concrete and pearlescent porcelain – creates unexpected warmth through masterful manipulation of light. Venture across the first-floor glass bridge and take in the views both inside and out.
Nevada, Cornwall
Clad with copper to blend with the landscape, this LABC Building Excellence Award winner gleams over Drift Reservoir, the waterside’s sole occupant. What began as a water bailiff's house in 1961 has been transformed by Camillin Denny Architects into Cornwall’s answer to the Californian lakehouse, where panoramic views abound thanks to the wraparound deck. Spacious three-tiered luxury unfolds vertically – the middle deck hosts a bedroom and a limestone-lined bathroom, while below, the lower level offers twin sun-deck-fronted chambers. Water lover or stargazer, ultimate relaxation awaits at this private residence just moments away from Penzance’s thriving food and arts scene.
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