Small is beautiful as writer’s retreat up for top award Restored coach house on RIBA shortlist
AVICTORIAN coach house transformed into a bijou writer’s residence is among the buildings shortlisted for a prestigious architecture award.
The one-bedroom retreat, tucked between two houses in Moseley, was the brainchild of Birmingham architect Anna Parker.
Once old and dingy, and used as a timber store, the Greenhill Road house is now a light and airy mezzanine home.
It was created for Gale, who wanted a with plenty of light working.
“The writer’s main aim was to convert the disused outbuilding into a habitable studio, create greater access to natural light internally and to utilise the full height of the space,” explains Anna.
She created a double-height lounge to maximise light and added a mezzanine floor for a bedroomcum-study.
On the ground floor, the rear of the property was extended to form an open-plan kitchen, dining room and the lounge area, which was lit further by a skylight and glazed doors that lead to the garden.
The Writer’s Coach House has now been shortlisted for the prestigious awards run by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Twelve buildings ranging from restorations to dynamic new designs are up for the RIBA West Midlands Awards, which celebrate the best standards of architecture across the region.
The winners are put forward to the national awards and the chance to take home the prestigious Stirling Prize.
They include Jaguar Land Rover’s writer Nicola flexible space for living and new Engine Manufacturing Centre near Wolverhampton and the Remembrance Centre at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Last year’s overall West Midlands building of the year was The Master’s House in Ledbury, Herefordshire.
Natalia Maximova, chairman of the judging panel, says: “This year’s shortlist includes a healthy range of projects from a chapel restoration to a new car manufacturing centre, which demonstrates a high design standard across the sectors.
“There are some unusual takes on conservation as well as unique building types. All are so different and all have merits worthy of a jury’s visit.”
All shortlisted buildings will be assessed by a regional jury and the winners will then be announced on May 15 at a ceremony at the Park Regis hotel in Birmingham.