Anglo-Saxon-inspired home wins Actis-sponsored STA Custom and Self-Build Project of the Year prize

A sustainable home inspired by Anglo-Saxon settlements has won the 2024 Structural Timber Awards Self-Build Project of the Year.

The prize for Angles House in the Suffolk countryside was presented to Beech Architects by Actis specification manager Amaret Chahal at a glittering ceremony at Birmingham’s National Conference Centre last week.

Actis, which has sponsored the awards for a number of years, is keen to champion the work of designers who create individual, dramatic but, crucially, environmentally-friendly buildings.

The winning design consists of a series of four single storey wood-clad “huts” linked by glass to break the solidity of the buildings forming the 295 sq m house.

The architects, who designed the house to meet Passivhaus standards, chose materials and finishes to blend with the background and have a strong relationship with the surrounding wildflower meadow, native hedges and trees which took the place of a traditional garden.