Caring Wood designed by Macdonald Wright and Niall Maxwell has been crowned the RIBA House of The Year 2017. Apparently, this decision is a little controversial, with some people commenting that there were some more worthy winners of the award. Whatever your opinion, it's probably fair to say that Caring Wood is a perfect of example of 'marmite architecture' - you either love it or hate it. The rationale behind the design and the building's connection with the Kent countryside is clear to see. The architects have taken inspiration from the traditional Oast Houses dotted around the Kent landscape and given them the full modern architectural treatment. Caring Wood is undoubtedly an amazing piece of architecture and the craftsmanship involved in its construction has to be admired. It looks complicated and very different to anything you have seen before, which inevitably means opinion will be divided - it certainly doesn't sit on the fence, and that's a very good thing when it comes to a building that makes a statement. Again, we cannot help but notice the use of gravel in different areas around the building. A local gravel is a great way of linking a building to the landscape, with Caring Wood going one step further by adding local stone and boulders with graded banks of soil, planted with native species to help blend or blur the edges of the building with the surrounding countryside. Using Nidagravel stabilization grids for gravel pathways around the building would ensure the gravel surface is stable and much more user-friendly. When it comes to using gravel, Nidagravel really does make the difference.