Secret hatches, moving walls and a sliding ladder all feature inside the Edinburgh home of architect Richard Murphy, which has been named the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) house of the Year 2016.
Architect Richard Murphy spent nine years planning and building his house as he was initially told it would have an ‘adverse impact’ on the surrounding conservation area and rejected planning permission.
“The Murphy House is this year’s best example of how to overcome challenging constraints – from planning restrictions and an awkward site in an urban location – to build a stunning house,” RIBA President Jane Duncan said. “Nearly a decade in the making, this house is a true labour of love for Richard,” she added.
Located at the end of a Georgian terrace in Edinburgh’s historic city centre, the house is like a jigsaw puzzle with hidden spaces, moving pieces and folding walls. The judging panel for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) award complimented the building’s quirky features, which include a folding corner wall and sliding bookshelf ladders.
The house also has a ‘hidden bath,’ which has a view out over the chimneys but cannot be seen by neighbours. “One lodger said it was like a Rubik’s cube, because as soon as you move one lever, everything moves. There are lots of moving gadgets, it’s not a prototype house,” Murphy told Channel 4.
Murphy explained that the unusual shape of the house was actually to ‘resolve’ the street layout. “My aim was to resolve a planning mess-up in the 1820s, which should never have happened. The shape of the house is to try to bookend the terrace that comes up the street,” he said.
The futuristic house boasts a series of optical illusions that make the small 36 foot by 20-foot house appear bigger. “It seems a lot bigger than it actually is, and it’s very complex inside,” Murphy said.
