British + Irish Modern: New Houses and Old Houses Made New

House design in Britain and Ireland is guided by climate, landscape and local resources just as much as the centuries-old traditions that have influenced architectural shape and form. Today’s best-known and emerging architects interpret their briefs with imaginative flair: they are transforming houses for the next generation of families by blending their renewed vigour for a local aesthetic with new materials and trends. Many of the new houses featured in British + Irish Modern reflect the architect’s focus on redefining local expectations for form by beautifully juxtaposing the traditional with contemporary structures, thus forging a new vernacular. Architects across this region are wholeheartedly seeking opportunities to re-use existing structures in myriad ways, resulting in surprising and remarkably unique renditions of old houses and buildings made new. Shown in stunning, full-colour photographic detail are hundreds of pages of new and renovated houses, cottages and even converted barns nestled in misty rural valleys, including new and retrofitted modern inner-city terraces and townhouses that make the best use of available space. Houses are selected for levels of comfort, use of materials, and dramatic expression of traditional and contemporary architecture, as well as houses that capitalise on longer and warmer summers imposed by changing weather patterns in this corner of the globe. Houses are designed with indoor spaces and intimate courtyards for play and recreation that draw in light and shield from the extreme weather elements yet maintain an eye on sustainability and affordability. British + Irish Modern reveals a rich array of works that showcase how architecture in Britain and Ireland today has much to teach the world about creative, high-calibre design, innovative application of materials, and cautious but clever reliance on resources.

- Demonstrates how key architects across Britain and Ireland are blending contemporary design practices with traditional vernacular buildings
- Features stunning full-colour photography throughout, informative descriptions and detailed floor plans
- Will appeal to all architects, landscape designers, urban planners, developer-clients, and educators
- Features an array of award-winning and highly commended projects including Bureau de Change's Folds House, winner of a 2016 Times Best Homes Award; Coppin Dockeray's Antsy Plum, winner of the 2016 South West RIBA Award; Tsuruta Architects' House of Trace, winner of RIBA's 2016 Stephen Lawrence Prize; Cassion Castle Architects' Oak Lane House, winner of the Daily Telegraph's Home Buildings Awards Best Residential Design 2016; and Broadstone's Tireighter Cairn, winner of the Single House Building category at the 2017 Building and Architect of the Year Awards

About the Author:

Maggie Toy spent a decade as the editor of international magazine Architectural Design and is the author of several books on architecture.