A season worth marking for Porthmadog House
— 27 July 2026 by Nicky Jones
Porthmadog House, perched atop a cliffside in beautiful north Wales, has had a busy few months indeed.
In June, the house won the RSAW 2026 Welsh Architecture Award, recognition from the Royal Society of Architects in Wales for work judged against site, brief and its execution. The project team - Magnus Ström, Hugh Richardson and Ross Couper - were delighted to accept the award in Cardiff in May, and thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
It was then named Popular Choice at the Architizer A+ Awards - the world's largest architecture awards programme, run from New York and followed well beyond the profession itself. The A+ Awards are decided on two tracks: a jury of architects and design leaders, and a public vote open to anyone with an interest in the built world. Popular Choice is drawn from hundreds of thousands of votes cast worldwide, so our thanks go to everyone who took the time to vote.
The RIBA Journal, in its review of the house, put its finger on what sets the work apart:
"The handling of both materials demonstrates an extraordinary quality of finish and provides an important reminder that in order for British craft to continue, there must be the patronage of committed clients and skilled teams to design and construct work of the highest standard. That is unquestionably the case here."
We think that is worth sitting with. An extraordinary quality of finish does not happen by chance; it depends on a fragile alignment of committed patronage, a client willing to hold their nerve, and a team prepared to design and build to the highest standard throughout. When those three hold together, the result can be exceptional.
Alongside the RSAW and Architizer Awards, Ström Architects has been shortlisted as a finalist for Building Design's Architect of the Year Awards.
We are pleased to share this run of results. In truth, awards mean very little in themselves. They are a welcome marker, not the point of the work, and the site, the brief and the people who live in the house remain the measure that matters most. But it is good, from time to time, to have that work read clearly by others, whether a panel of architects, a wider public vote, or a journal that understands what craft costs to sustain. And after what have been some trying years across the industry, it is genuinely heartening to see that serious, high-end residential architecture is still recognised and valued.
Thank you to the RSAW jury, the Architizer voters and the Building Design judges for their time and consideration. More on the Architect of the Year result when it is announced.
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