London’s New Housing Wins Prize for Its ‘Anti-Loneliness’ Design

London’s newest award-winning building isn’t a glass tower or an avant-garde museum—it’s a modest housing project designed for older residents who value independence and community in equal measure. The Appleby Blue Almshouse in Bermondsey has just claimed the 2025 RIBA Stirling Prize, Britain’s top architectural honor. Its secret? A design philosophy that places human connection at the very center.

 

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Instead of cold corridors and boxy rooms, this place was made to feel warm, open, and connected. Designed by architects Witherford Watson Mann for United St Savior’s Charity, the building gives 59 older Londoners a fresh, affordable place to live.

But more than that, it gives them a reason to step outside their doors and talk to each other.

Riba / IG / Appleby Blue Almshouse is a place to live well. The architects started to build homes that fight loneliness, not just fill space. That means creating more than just rooms.

It means building places where people naturally gather, bump into each other, and connect.

At the heart of the building is a large community kitchen where residents can cook and eat together. There is also a civic room for events, a shared garden on the roof, and a central courtyard that acts like a village square.

The House is Designed to Combat Loneliness

Unlike many modern buildings that chase trends, Appleby Blue was built with real needs in mind. The site was once a run-down care home. Now, it is a smart, simple building that respects the past while looking ahead. It brings back the idea of the almshouse, charity housing for older people, but gives it a modern twist.

The result doesn’t feel like a care facility. It feels like a neighborhood. Walk through and you will find wide, light-filled hallways lined with benches and greenery. They invite people to slow down, sit, and strike up a chat.

What makes Appleby Blue stand out isn’t just how it looks, but how it works. Every detail is meant to spark interaction. The building feels calm and quiet, thanks to natural materials, warm colors, and careful landscaping. A small water feature and pockets of green space make the whole place feel more like a hidden park than a block of flats.

Riba / IG / Residents say it feels safe, peaceful, and full of life. The design avoids that tired, institutional vibe found in so many housing projects for older people.

Instead, it gives residents pride in where they live. It gives them choices. And most of all, it gives them company.

Architecture That Actually Helps

The judges didn’t hold back in their praise. Stirling Prize jury chair Ingrid Schroder called it “a clarion call for a new form of housing.” She said it proves architecture can be more than just beautiful. It can be useful, joyful, and healing. In her words, the project shows how good design can bring people together and give them hope.

More often than not, buildings win prizes for looking flashy. But Appleby Blue won because it solved a real problem. Loneliness among older people is one of the UK’s fastest-growing social issues. This building doesn’t just acknowledge that. It tackles it head-on.

The almshouse has deep roots in British history. For centuries, they offered shelter to people in need. Appleby Blue keeps that spirit alive but updates it for today’s world. There is no cold charity here. Just smart, kind design that helps people live with dignity and purpose.