"SPA atmosphere" and its own vegetable garden: a renovated home for the elderly was recognized as the best building in the UK - PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA

The Appleby Blue Almshouse social housing complex in London, designed by architects Witherford Watson Mann, has won the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize 2025. The jury called the project “the embodiment of pure joy” — an example of how architecture can combine functionality, care, and human warmth.

Appleby Blue Almshouse is a modern interpretation of the ancient British tradition of almshouses - homes for the elderly or destitute, which combined housing, care and community, write The Guardian.

Photo: Philip Vile

The complex is located in the Bermondsey area of south-east London and is designed for people over 65 who require social support.

The building contains 57 spacious apartments for singles and couples, grouped around an internal courtyard with silver ginkgo trees, swimming pools and relaxation areas.

Photo: Philip Vile

The five-story building, made of dark blue and brown brick, features white oak-framed windows that create a warm contrast to the facade. On the roof is a garden with flower beds and seating areas, where residents work with local gardeners to grow vegetables for the communal kitchen.

At the center of the complex is a double-height “garden room,” a space for meetings, tea parties, film screenings, dances, or concerts. The architects replaced the closed corridors with galleries with glass screens that open in the warmer months, transforming the passageway into a terrace for socializing and relaxing.

Photo: Philip Vile

“We wanted to build not on the outskirts, but in the heart of the community — next to busy streets, so as not to hide the elderly from city life,” explained architect Stephen Weatherford.

Next-generation social architecture

The project is being implemented in collaboration with United St Saviour's, a charity that supports local residents, youth and cultural centres. The community spaces of the complex are open for events and collaborative initiatives, making Appleby Blue part of the city life, rather than an isolated refuge.

Appleby Blue beat out several larger projects, including the restoration of the Elizabeth Tower (home to Big Ben). This is Witherford Watson Mann's second win in the RIBA Stirling Prize competition - in 2013 the architects won the award for the restoration of the medieval Astley Castle in Warwickshire.

"SPA atmosphere" and its own vegetable garden: a renovated home for the elderly has been recognized as the best building in the UK

Next-generation social architecture

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