Archello Longlists Plinth House
Our studio is delighted that Plinth House has been longlisted for the Archello Awards 2025 in the Unbuilt Housing category. This category seeks homes that do more than meet a brief. It asks how design can strengthen daily rituals and work with the environment rather than against it.
The remarkable isolated site looks out across the sea on the west coast of Wales. This is a remote part of the country where life is shaped by the weather and by the water. Our proposal turns that reality into a source of joy rather than a challenge. A series of stone plinths rise from the shoreline. Each one gives a specific experience to our client. One plinth invites a cold plunge. Another becomes a place to gather, cook, and share time with family. Some plinths are simply points of rest where a person can look out to the horizon and feel part of the landscape. These elements are intentional, monolithic and reassuring and act as a fundamental anchor point within the experience of that journey from ocean to home.
These moments lead up finally to a raised living platform. The family will live here, behind a timber screen that offers shade, privacy, and a sense of calm within the structured architecture. Therefore the work becomes a path from exposure to refuge. It acknowledges our desire to be close to nature while also seeking protection and comfort from it.
In our studio we believe good design should not only look beautiful. It should help people feel present in their lives, it has to feel real. This award we hope signals that others see that promise in Plinth House. We look forward to continuing this journey with our client and bringing the project into existence.
More design and meaning can be found on Plinth House Project Page -
https://www.hydearchitects.com/plinth-house
The next chapter begins…
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