Stirling Prize 2025: Appleby Blue Almshouse social housing project named Britain's best new building

Published on 17/10/2025 - 13:54 GMT+2

Appleby Blue Almshouse, a charity-funded societal lodging task to radically rethink organization attraction and residence for older people, has won nan Stirling Prize, Britain's apical grant for architecture.

The project, based successful a engaged portion of Bermondsey successful eastbound London, took nan Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) champion caller building title for its creation of "high-quality spaces that are generous and thoughtful, blending usability and organization to create environments that genuinely attraction for their residents."

Witherford Watson Mann, nan architectural patient down nan almshouse for United St Saviour's Charity, said nan creation is meant to reside nan societal and economical challenges faced by galore older group successful our soul cities, namely loneliness and often a deficiency of relationship pinch a divers community.

There was strong competition for nan grant pinch nan London College of Fashion's caller office successful Stratford and nan restoration of Big Ben's Elizabeth Tower among nan contenders.

Care successful nan community

The improvement contains 59 bright, freely flats arranged successful a U-shape astir a cardinal plot courtyard.

A assortment of plants, trees and a gentle h2o feature, that echoes passim nan building, gives a consciousness of a woodland oasis, allowing residents a changeless relationship to a greenish abstraction successful nan bosom of London.

Speaking connected behalf of nan RIBA Stirling Prize Jury, Ingrid Schroder, Director of The Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture, said: "By creating a extremist and important exemplary that embraces co-living astatine a clip wherever our demographics are shifting, Appleby Blue sets an eager modular for societal lodging among older people. Not only does it execute nan uncommon enactment of freeing up accommodation while keeping residents embedded successful their community, it shows that design, erstwhile infused pinch heavy care, tin meaningfully reside nan pressing issues of today.”

Stephen Witherford, from Witherford Watson Mann architects said: “Working intimately and imaginatively pinch United St. Saviour’s Charity, we’ve made societal lodging aspirational, enabling group to turn aged locally pinch nan correct support, benefiting some residents and nan wider Southwark community. We’re honoured that nan RIBA Stirling Prize recognises nan powerfulness of architecture to create places that genuinely toggle shape lives.”

Additional sources • RIBA