Viewers of Grand Designs House of the Year have criticized judges for their “absurd” decisions in the two innovative houses shortlisted for this year’s competition.
After beachside haven Sea Breeze in East Sussex and contemporary art-inspired Red House in Dorset were shortlisted for the final seven of this year’s competition at the end of last night’s episode, disgruntled viewers went Twitter criticize the decision.
Viewers complained that the jury of the Royal Institute of British Architects chose ‘a holiday home and a monstrosity’ to be shortlisted, and argued that the houses chosen were not at all that innovative.
At the beginning of last night’s episode that aired on Channel 4 at 9pm presenter Michelle Ogundehin visited Sea Breeze, described as a ‘pink fondant fantasy’ built on sand on the East Sussex coast.
Later, presenter Damion Burrows went to Dorset to visit the ‘very eye-catching, very playful’ Red House, a red-brick family home with bright green windows that Kevin McCloud described as a ‘post-modern work of art’.
Viewers have taken to Twitter to criticize RIBA after a ‘monstrous’ red brick house with green frames and trim in Dorset (pictured) was shortlisted for Grand Designs House of the Year
Built with accessibility in mind, The Red House has a fairly modest living and kitchen space despite its bizarre exterior
Designed as an ode to modern art, the interior of The Red House is clad in white concrete blocks and wooden floors
The Red House is designed to be open throughout with no doors, yet maintain privacy with the layout of the rooms
The bathroom in The Red House contains small round windows that allow a little natural light to flood into the room
Sea Breeze (pictured from the outside at sunset) is painted cotton candy pink and was described by Kevin McCloud as a ‘fondant fantasy’
Sea Breeze’s architect, Rob Pollard, told Michelle how he and the contractors pulled off the tricky project.
He said, “We had to build a scaffolding structure around the whole thing and effectively enclose the construction site, so we put a roof over it and we wrapped the whole thing.”
The finished house, painted cotton candy pink, is covered with microfiber concrete that is abrasion resistant, to prevent sand from entering.
Rob also explained that the house was designed without window sills or ledges that could pull sand into the nooks and crannies of the building and cause damage over time.
As he guided Michelle through the one-and-a-half-story house, Rob explained that the house had triple glazing, so it was perfectly quiet inside, despite the waves crashing on the shore outside.
The house contains an open plan kitchen, living and dining room on the ground floor which is decorated with wooden panels.
Inside The Red House there is a spiral staircase, which owner Andrew said was the most complicated thing the joiner had ever made
The pink paradise sits amongst other less colorful beach huts on the East Sussex coastline and took 18 months to build
An oceanfront house with stunning views of the East Sussex Sea, named Sea Breeze, has been longlisted for RIBA’s House of the Year, which is being viewed by Grand Designs
Tucked away on the ground floor of the house is a luxurious spa complete with a hot tub (pictured), sauna and steam room
Facing the sea, it opens with patio doors to terraces with sand below and has a wraparound window in the corner for another angled view of the coastline.
Tucked away at the back of the house is a luxurious spa complete with steam room, sauna and Jacuzzi.
While some viewers were impressed with the house, they criticized it for not being the owner’s, Sophie’s main residence, but instead serving as a vacation home, arguing that it’s “not a house at all.”
Other viewers objected to the design itself, labeling it “unremarkable” and suggesting that it looked just like the other beach houses next door.
When Damion visited The Red House in Dorset, he met owner Andrew who said he wanted to create a ‘playful’ design with thousands of red bricks shooting in different directions and bright green frames.
“The patterns on the bricks, the variety of the different sections add an extra level of interest and that was extremely difficult to pull off,” he told Damion.
Viewers took to Twitter to express their disappointment with the ‘monstrosity’ of The Red House and a ‘holiday home’ Sea Breeze being shortlisted – but some viewers were clear they thought the right decision had been made
Inside the house is a swirling staircase of wood and carpeting, which Andrew said was the most complicated thing the joiner had ever put together.
Although the house looks a bit ordinary inside, Andrew pointed out that the entire house was designed with accessibility in mind, from the placement of the light switches to the lack of doors and even an elevator.
He revealed, “Both of my parents died of various degenerative neurological diseases. It’s all designed to make it more suitable for accessible living.’
While judges recognized The Red House for its eccentric looks and accessibility, viewers were less than impressed with its majesty.
One person took to Twitter to call it a “monstrosity,” while another said it looked “hideous.”
One viewer wrote, “Mainstream architecture still baffles me. A concrete house on a beach with no road and a flashy brick house won the House of the Year award.’
He used the hashtags #climateemergency and #climatechange to indicate that he preferred to see energy-efficient homes shortlisted.
However, not all viewers were disappointed with the judges’ choices and took to Twitter to praise them for the shortlisted homes.
One viewer made his feelings clear by simply tweeting, “Yeah. Right choice.’