{"id":765741,"date":"2024-12-03T22:35:08","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T22:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=765741"},"modified":"2024-12-03T22:35:08","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T22:35:08","slug":"surman-weston-named-aj-architect-of-the-year-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/surman-weston-named-aj-architect-of-the-year-2024","title":{"rendered":"Surman Weston named AJ Architect of the Year 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

The exceptional practice behind this year\u2019s Manser Medal-winning scheme has a wealth of understanding of making and materials. Surman Weston celebrates construction and craft, but also makes its buildings as low-carbon as possible, from the sourcing of materials onwards.<\/p>\n

Peckham House<\/a> is a triumph of hands-on experimentation and contains many ideas for modest-sized houses, wrapped up in a delightful fa\u00e7ade of hit-and-miss brickwork. Occupying an end-of-terrace site \u2013 previously a piece of scrubby grass \u2013 next to a Brutalist car park in Peckham, south London, it\u2019s a refreshing take on the terraced house. And it\u2019s the latest in a series of projects from this studio \u2013 founded by Tom Surman and Percy Weston after studying at the RCA \u2013 that punch above their weight, both conceptually and in terms of construction.<\/p>\n

Other significant output includes the Hackney School of Food<\/a>, which saw a redundant school caretaker\u2019s house converted into a specialist food education centre for primary school children, and which was awarded the Stephen Lawrence Prize in 2022<\/a>. The highly geometrical Surbiton Springs 2019 new-build house in south-west London (bottom left) \u2018riffs off Surrey gin-and-jag belt half-timbered gables\u2019, as the AJ\u2019s Rob Wilson observed<\/a>, with its exaggerated triangle of white brick and rendering. Meanwhile Cork Study, completed in 2015, was the first new-build in the UK clad in expanded cork blocks.<\/p>\n

A commitment to sustainable building is at the core of Surman Weston\u2019s approach. Peckham House is a self-build tour de force and is, as the practice explains, its first self-initiated scheme working as client, architect and contractor, affording freedoms and broadening its experience beyond the parameters of a traditional architectural project.<\/p>\n

The house itself is super-insulated, with triple glazing and an airtight envelope with MVHR and photovoltaics paired with an air source heat pump for space and water heating. It achieves an EPC \u2018A\u2019 rating and is designed to perform 80 per cent better than Building Regulation requirements.<\/p>\n

The AJ highlighted Surman Weston back in 2020 as part of the 40 under 40 cohort<\/a> of emerging talent. They embody a spirit of architecture as activism \u2013 and we\u2019re delighted here to celebrate their lean and low-tech approaches, which offer a model for thoughtful practice.<\/p>\n

To view all the winners of the 2024 AJ Architecture Awards, click here<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 2024 AJ Architecture Awards are sponsored by \r\n\"\"<\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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