A modern almshouse designed to combat loneliness has won the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (Riba) prestigious Stirling Prize for Britain’s best new building. Appleby Blue Almshouse in Southwark, south London, provides 59 affordable flats for over-65s, along with communal facilities like a roof garden, courtyard, and community kitchen. Architects Witherford Watson Mann crafted “high-quality” and “thoughtful” spaces to create environments that truly care for their residents, according to Ingrid Schroder, director of the Architectural Association School of Architecture.
The building features generous homes, terracotta-paved hallways with benches and plants, and a water feature that gives the sense of a “woodland oasis”. This creates an aspirational living environment that stands in stark contrast to the institutional atmosphere often associated with older people’s housing. The complex was built on the site of an old care home by United St Saviour’s Charity, which subsidises the flats for people on low incomes.
The Stirling Prize judges praised the building for setting an ambitious standard for social housing among older people. Appleby Blue Almshouse beat other notable projects, including the restoration of Big Ben’s tower and a new fashion college campus. Witherford Watson Mann’s design vision and innovation earned them the top spot, marking their second Stirling Prize win 12 years after their design for Astley Castle in Warwickshire.
Image Courtesy: BBC
