The RIBA Stirling Prize 2025 has been awarded to Appleby Blue Almshouse by Witherford Watson Mann Architects, a new social housing development for older residents in London. Presented annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) since 1996, the prize recognizes the UK’s best new building, celebrating architectural excellence, innovation, and social impact. This marks the second Stirling Prize win for Witherford Watson Mann Architects, following their 2013 recognition for Astley Castle, and continues their trajectory as a practice that engages deeply with social and cultural contexts. The firm was also shortlisted in 2019 and 2023.
Located on a busy London high street, Appleby Blue Almshouse replaces a former care home and reimagines the centuries-old almshouse model for contemporary needs. The development comprises 59 light-filled apartments arranged around a central courtyard garden, placing communal space at the heart of the project. Designed to foster community and reduce social isolation among people over 65, the scheme responds to both the UK’s housing shortage and the growing loneliness epidemic among older populations.
At street level, floor-to-ceiling bay windows and sightlines to the nearby bus stop create a strong connection between residents and the surrounding neighborhood. Public programming, along with timber-clad communal rooms and a shared kitchen, reinforces the building’s role as an anchor for both its residents and the wider community. Developed through a close collaboration between Witherford Watson Mann Architects and United St Saviour’s Charity, the project integrates wellbeing, care, and dignity into every aspect of its design. Appleby Blue Almshouse presents a new model for housing in later life, where architecture actively supports connection, independence, and collective living.
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RIBA Announces the Shortlist for the 2025 Stirling Prize
This year’s shortlist featured projects by Purcell, Hugh Strange Architects, Allies and Morrison, Takero Shimazaki Architects, and Herzog and de Meuron with BDP, reflecting a broad range of architectural approaches across the country. In addition to the Stirling Prize, several special awards were presented during the evening. United St Saviour’s Charity received the RIBA Client of the Year Award for its role in Appleby Blue Almshouse, recognizing its commitment to a socially impactful vision. The project also received the RIBA Neave Brown Award for Housing 2025. Other honors included the RIBA Reinvention Award 2025 for Sheerness Dockyard Church by Hugh Broughton Architects and the RIBA Stephen Lawrence Prize 2025 for St Mary’s Walthamstow by Alex Spicer at Matthew Lloyd Architects.
In other recent news from the Royal Institute of British Architects, 20 winning projects were announced for the RIBA National Awards 2025, spotlighting exemplary works across the UK. Earlier this year, the institute also revealed that Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, founders of SANAA, will receive the RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2025.