A London care home built to tackle social isolation has won a major architecture award
A care home that fosters connections between residents and the wider community has been crowned the UK’s best new building.
A modern reimagining of a traditional almshouse, Appleby Blue in Bermondsey, south London, won the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling prize on Thursday night.
Featuring 59 rent-capped apartments, a community centre and rooftop gardens, the property tackles the twin issues of loneliness and a lack of affordable housing for elderly people. It was designed by Witherford Watson Mann Architects for United St Saviour’s Charity, a nonprofit that aims to foster community cohesion.
“This project is a clarion call for a new form of housing at a pivotal moment,” said jury chair Ingrid Schroder, director of The Architectural Association School of Architecture.
“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.”
Built on the site of a disused care home, Appleby Blue has a community centre on the ground floor that welcomes non-residents, many of them young mothers and their children, who can come for meetings and classes, including yoga.
“Sociability is built right into the heart of this building,” said Martyn Craddock, chief executive of United St Saviour’s Charity. “People can engage with each other at varying degrees; they can go down to a community centre downstairs – they can meet people from outside or their fellow neighbours – or they can sit on walkways outside their homes.”
Rohan, a resident, said that the property’s design “stops you from being depressed. It’s absolutely beautiful.”
Appleby Blue was up against stiff competition at the awards, notably from the Houses of Parliament’s refurbished Elizabeth Tower.
“We’re honoured that the RIBA Stirling Prize recognises the power of architecture to create places that genuinely transform lives,” said Stephen Witherford, director of Witherford Watson Mann Architects.
“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.”
Images: Appleby Blue Almshouse/Phillip Vile
