Witherford Watson Mann Architects' social housing complex for the elderly, Appleby Blue Almshouse, has won the 2025 RIBA Stirling Prize by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The prestigious annual award crowns the UK’s best new building since 1996.

Appleby Blue, which replaced an abandoned care facility, completely reimagines the classic almshouse typology by putting communal areas at its center to promote community and lessen isolation among inmates. Around a central garden courtyard, the development's 59 light-filled, roomy apartments are organized in a U shape.

Large homes with subtle accessibility elements inside provide an aspirational living space that contrasts sharply with the institutional setting that is frequently connected to housing for the elderly. 

Large windows in the kitchen let in plenty of natural light and provide inhabitants a continuous view of the garden courtyard. A woodland oasis is created with a variety of plants, trees, and a soft water feature that reverberates throughout the structure, giving occupants a continuous link to a green area right in the middle of London.

The apartments are connected by light-filled, terracotta-paved passageways with benches and planters that may be customized to create a "social corridor" that promotes unplanned interaction between residents. 

With the help of cleverly planned automated vents and double-glazed windows, the hallways can retain heat in the winter to provide homeowners with a cozy winter garden and release it in the summer to keep cool. Above, a spacious roof terrace offers inhabitants a vibrant, transportive common area where the elevated planting beds meet accessibility requirements. 

Floor-to-ceiling bay windows at street level foster a close social bond between locals and the neighborhood. The main street bus stop is directly visible, allowing inhabitants to see the everyday bustle of the city and enabling chance encounters. Additionally, a diverse public calendar of activities encourages visitors to enter the cozy, wood-paneled common areas. 

Offering inhabitants a type of co-living centered around communal areas, the spacious double-height public "garden room" and community kitchen serve as gathering places for everyone. 

The users of Appleby Blue now enjoy a calm, social, and profoundly transformative environment where residents' mental and physical wellbeing are given equal importance and priority thanks to the remarkable collaboration and careful attention to detail between Witherford Watson Mann Architects and the client, United St Saviour's Charity. 

By bringing its residents together in areas that enhance the ordinary, Appleby Blue subtly reimagines later living as a communal experience. As a result, the project is an innovative approach to creating high-quality homes for senior citizens that incorporates dignity and care into every aspect of the design. 

"Designing social housing for later life is too often reduced to a simple provision of service. Appleby Blue, however, is a provision of pure delight. Its architects have crafted high-quality spaces that are generous and thoughtful, blending function and community to create environments that truly care for their residents," said Ingrid Schroder, who spoke on behalf of the RIBA Stirling Prize Jury. 

"This project is a clarion call for a new form of housing at a pivotal moment. Built against the backdrop of two crises, an acute housing shortage and a growing loneliness epidemic among older people, Appleby Blue offers a hopeful and imaginative response, where residents and the surrounding community are brought together through the transformative nature of the design." 

"By creating a radical and significant model that embraces co-living at a time where our demographics are shifting, Appleby Blue sets an ambitious standard for social housing among older people."

"Not only does it perform the rare act of freeing up accommodation while keeping residents embedded in their community, it shows that design, when infused with deep care, can meaningfully address the pressing issues of today," Schroder added.

"Appleby Blue is a contemporary almshouse on a busy London high street, designed to address the social and economic challenges faced by many older people in our inner cities. Working closely and imaginatively with United St. Saviour’s Charity, we’ve created an environment that reduces loneliness, encourages connection, and supports a good later life," said Stephen Witherford, on behalf of Witherford Watson Mann Architects and United St. Saviour’s Charity. 

"The charity has made social housing aspirational, enabling people to grow old locally with the right support, benefiting both residents and the wider Southwark community. We’re honoured that the RIBA Stirling Prize recognises the power of architecture to create places that genuinely transform lives," Witherford added. 

The 2025 RIBA Stirling was chaired by Ingrid Schroder, Director of The Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture, with: Anna Lisa McSweeny, UK Network Lead, Built by Nature,  (Sustainability Expert); Chris Williamson, RIBA President; Neill McClements, Director, Grimshaw and winner of RIBA Stirling Prize 2024; Simon Gillis, Technical Director at Autodesk; Victoria Tang-Owen, Creative Director, Designer, Consultant and Brand Collaborator (Lay Assessor).

The winner was announced at a ceremony on 16 October at London’s Roundhouse. 

Appleby Blue Almshouse was selected from a six-candidate shortlist, announced in September. The shortlist included Elizabeth Tower by Purcell, Hastings House by Hugh Strange Architects, London College of Fashion by Allies and Morrison, Niwa House by Takero Shimazaki Architects, The Discovery Centre (DISC) by Herzog and de Meuron / BDP.

In 2024, London’s Elizabeth Line won 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize For Architecture. 

All images © Philip Vile.

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