Residential Designed to Address Social Isolation Claims Top Architecture Award
A modern interpretation of the traditional almshouse, specifically planned to address social isolation, has earned a esteemed architecture prize for Britain's top modern building.
Appleby Blue Almshouse, which provides affordable units for older adults in the Southwark area, has been granted this year's Stirling Prize by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
This complex, located in a London neighborhood, features 59 flats plus collective amenities, featuring a rooftop garden, central courtyard and shared kitchen.
The Stirling Prize committee said it "establishes an lofty benchmark for social housing among seniors".
Architects Witherford Watson Mann have developed "excellent" and "considerate" spaces to establish settings that truly support their inhabitants", according to a panelist.
This structure was praised for its "spacious" residences, terracotta-paved hallways with benches and plants, and a water feature that provides the building the "feeling of a woodland oasis".
All this creates an "inspiring home atmosphere" that exists "sharply opposed to the impersonal atmosphere often associated with senior accommodation".
The awarded building was constructed on the location of an old care home by a charitable organization, which supports the flats for residents on low incomes.
Community residences were historically built from the medieval period to offer benevolent shelter for those in need.
This development outperformed a range of other contending buildings and architectural projects to secure this year's Stirling Prize, from the renovation of the Elizabeth Tower in London to a new fashion college campus, a lab building and an "inventive" house addition.
These additional candidates were:
- The restored Big Ben
- A residential property
This award is presented to the development judged to be "the most influential of the year for the progress of architecture and the constructed surroundings", and is judged on standards like creative approach, innovation and distinctiveness.
This is Witherford Watson Mann's repeat achievement as winning professionals, over a decade after they were selected for their design for a groundbreaking current retreat at the old Astley Castle in the county.
A major transport project - the city's transverse rail line - secured the prestigious prize the previous year.
Other earlier winners of the accolade - initially awarded in 1996 - include Liverpool's Everyman Theatre, seaside structure and the government structure in the Scottish capital.
