Rural Outer Hebrides home wins RIBA House of the Year 2025

A stone-clad home in Scotland's Outer Hebrides by local practice Izat Arundell has been named the UK's best new house by the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Named Caochan na Creige – which means 'little quiet one by the rock' – Izat Arundell designed the house to blend in with the rugged landscape, covering its exterior in blocks of local Lewisian Gneiss stone.

Perched in a sheltered inlet in the Bay of Harris, the home was revealed today as RIBA's House of the Year 2025 in the final episode of the Grand Designs House of the Year series.

The winner from a seven-strong shortlist, the house was praised by the awards jury for its use of materials and resilience in the unpredictable weather conditions.

"The choice of the winner, Caochan na Creige, was unanimous," said award jury chair David Kohn, founder of London studio David Kohn Architects.  "It addressed every issue – challenging climatic conditions, the relationship to vernacular architecture and a tight budget – with a rare mixture of sensitivity and boldness."

"Modest in size, but luxurious in its connection to the surrounding landscape, it is self-built from hyper-local stone in a way that is suited to its material qualities," he continued. "Its enigmatic form, recalling large castles and defensive structures, belies its intimate scale. "

"All these things make it an exemplary home which will have much to contribute to future debates around domestic architecture in rural contexts."

Caochan na Creige has an irregular, angled plan that was designed so its foundations avoided areas of incredibly hard rock on the site.

The home's interior was lined with wood panelling, and full-height windows give views across the landscape.

Caochan na Creige was also named rural house of the year in last year's Dezeen Awards.

Other homes in the RIBA House of the Year shortlist included a coastal house in Hastings by Hugh Strange Architects, which was recognised on this year's RIBA Stirling Prize shortlist, and a low-energy home in Suffolk by Sanei Hopkins Architects.

The photography is by Richard Gaston.

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