"The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has awarded the 2025 RIBA Stirling Prize to Appleby Blue Almshouse — an innovative later-living social housing project for over-65s by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, recognised as the UK’s most outstanding new architectural achievement.

Replacing a derelict care home, Appleby Blue reinvents the traditional almshouse model by placing shared community spaces at the core of its design to support connection, wellbeing, and reduce loneliness among older residents. The scheme provides 59 bright, well-designed homes arranged around a central landscaped courtyard.

Inside, spacious and discreetly accessible apartments offer a high-quality, dignified alternative to conventional older people’s housing. Generous kitchen windows frame views of the courtyard’s greenery, trees and calming water feature, creating a sense of a peaceful woodland retreat in the heart of London.

Terracotta-lined corridors filled with natural light, planting areas, and seating create a ‘social street’ that encourages neighbourly interaction. Automated ventilation and double glazing help regulate temperature, forming warm winter areas and cool summer spaces. A vibrant rooftop terrace extends the communal offering, designed with accessible raised beds and colourful planting.

At street level, full-height bay windows open the building to the surrounding neighbourhood, strengthening social ties and offering views toward the bustling high street and nearby bus stop. A varied programme of public events animates the timber-clad shared spaces, including the double-height ‘garden room’ and communal kitchen — creating a welcoming civic hub centred around co-living.

Close collaboration between Witherford Watson Mann Architects and United St Saviour’s Charity has resulted in a transformative environment that places equal emphasis on physical comfort and mental wellbeing. Appleby Blue sets a new benchmark for later-living design, demonstrating how thoughtful architecture can elevate everyday life and treat ageing with dignity and care.

Ingrid Schroder, Director of The Architectural Association (AA) School of Architecture and chair of the RIBA Stirling Prize jury, said:

“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.

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.”

Stephen Witherford, speaking on behalf of Witherford Watson Mann Architects and United St Saviour’s Charity, said:

“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. 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.”

The 2025 RIBA Stirling Prize jury included Ingrid Schroder (Chair), Anna Lisa McSweeny (Sustainability Expert), Chris Williamson (RIBA President), Neill McClements (Winner of RIBA Stirling Prize 2024), Simon Gillis (Autodesk Technical Director), and Victoria Tang-Owen (Creative Director and Lay Assessor).

Awards announced at the Roundhouse on 16 October also included four RIBA Special Awards:

United St Saviour’s Charity — RIBA Client of the Year Award 2025
Appleby Blue Almshouse — RIBA Neave Brown Award for Housing 2025
Sheerness Dockyard Church — RIBA Reinvention Award 2025
St Mary’s Walthamstow — RIBA Stephen Lawrence Prize 2025

The RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 is supported by Autodesk.

Amy Bunszel, EVP of Architecture, Engineering and Construction Solutions at Autodesk, said:

“Each project recognised by the Stirling Prize sets a powerful example for the industry, showcasing how dedication and creative vision shape the spaces where we live, work, and connect. Autodesk is honoured to support the award and to celebrate the thoughtful design and innovation behind this year’s winning project.”"

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