Nine European houses that reinterpret local architecture
To inspire your entries to our new Dezeen Awards Regional Showcases, we select some of our favourite, previously shortlisted houses in Europe.
This year, every project entered into Dezeen Awards can also be entered into our Regional Showcases, three Top 50 lists chosen by our editors that will celebrate the best projects in three regions: Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Americas (AMER).
Have you got a house to enter into our Top 50: Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) list?
Find out more about our Regional Showcases here and read on for previous standout examples of architecture projects in Europe that have been shortlisted in past editions of Dezeen Awards.
Nina's House by Nina+Co and ROAR
A cork exterior transforms this 1970s house, a deep retrofit undertaken by London studios Nina+Co and ROAR Architects, into a low-energy, fossil-fuel free home.
Dark expanded cork cladding was chosen for its durable and regenerative qualities, and its tactile surface has become a local talking point, transforming "a passive facade into a community touchpoint".
Find out more about Nina's House ›
House in an Olive Grove by Invisible Studio
Nestled in a rural olive grove in Corfu, Greece, British practice Invisible Studio designed a minimalist concrete structure to serve as a "campsite" for the architects' family.
The building maintains a close relationship to its surroundings while creating flexibility for future modifications, a characteristic of local structures that "evolve slowly over many years".
Find out more about House in an Olive Grove ›
Caochan na Creige by Izat Arundell
On a sheltered inlet in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, Scottish practice Izat Arundell has designed a remote house made from thick walls of local stone, chosen to blend with the surrounding rocky outcrops.
Full-height windows maximise striking vistas across the wild landscape, while wooden panelling lines the timber-frame structure to create a warm interior.
Find out more about Caochan na Creige ›
Barneys Ruins by Patrick Bradley Architect
Local studio Patrick Bradley Architects perched a cantilevered shipping container on 200-year-old ruins in Northern Ireland in a "bold architectural statement".
The contemporary home sits on the site of an old farm, alongside a converted barn that uses reclaimed materials where possible to create "a strong juxtaposition of old and new".
Find out more about Barneys Ruins ›
Felsenburg by Sara Gelibter Architecte
This coral-red monolithic structure, located less than a metre from a railway line above the old town of Biel-Bienne, Switzerland, was vertically extended by Sara Gelibter Architect.
The new volume is clad in corrugated fibre cement panels, extending the structure to create a modern living space while preserving the character of the protected building.
Find out more about Felsenburg ›
North Sea East Wood by Hayhurst & Co
At one of the highest points in the English seaside town of Cromer in Norfolk sits this flint-clad extension, making the most of expansive views across the North Sea, as well as inland to the East Wood.
Local practice Hayhurst & Co restructured the original 1980s bungalow and introduced locally sourced flint to finish the extension in reference to vernacular East Anglian architecture.
Find out more about North Sea East Wood ›
Vejrhøj by Studio Marshall Blecher and Jan Henrik Jansen Arkitekter
Located in rural Fårevejle, Denmark, architecture practices Studio Marshall Blecher and Jan Henrik Jansen Arkitekter renovated this 1960s modernist summerhouse.
A standalone extension was constructed alongside the original structure, which features an almost identical thatched gable roof, mimicking the "intricate craftsmanship" of the 1960s volume.
Rinskopf by Atelier Avondzon and Macadam Atelier
Local studios Atelier Avondzon and Macadam Atelier wrapped this house in Ghent, Belgium, in corrugated-metal panels to mirror the site's industrial surroundings.
While the derelict brick structure was maintained, a blue sawtooth-roofed extension was added to accommodate the new kitchen and enhance the "factory-like aesthetic" of the home.
Find out more about Rinskopf ›
The Old Byre by Gianni Botsford Architects
Set on a ridge on the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom, Gianni Botsford Architects wrapped two old farm buildings in corrugated cement board to create a home, workspace and residency for visiting artists.
The Old Byre blends seamlessly with the surrounding farm buildings, its historic barn structure preserved by the architects, while a new translucent facade allows daylight to softly fill the interior spaces.
Find out more about The Old Byre ›
Enter by 27 May!
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