Three schemes recognised by the Housing LIN as exemplar developments win RIBA UK awards

We are delighted to learn that several developments featured by the Housing LIN as exemplar schemes have been recognised in the RIBA’s UK 2025 regional awards.

In London, United St Saviour’s Charity’s Appleby Blue is among 38 winners of the RIBA London Award. Designed by former Stirling Prize winners Witherford Watson Mann Architects, this contemporary almshouse in Bermondsey has been honoured with a RIBA’s London Awards (opens new window).

Appleby Blue was also the overall and HAPPI winner at last year's National Housing Design Awards and was highlighted in a Housing LIN Inspirational Achievement. You can read more about the Southwark-based development in a guest blog by scheme manager and former Housing LIN Future Leader, Morgan Vine: Embracing growth, navigating challenges in a new housing scheme and building communities at Appleby Blue.

In the East of England, Girton Town Charity’s almshouses, Dovehouse Court, in Girton on the outskirts of Cambridge, has won an award. It is one of 14 projects to win a regional award by RIBA East (opens new window).

Designed by the award-winning Mole Architects (also known for Marmalade Lane Cohousing), this modern almshouse has been built to Passivhaus standards. Join Mole Architects at our upcoming HAPPI Hour webinar on 17 June, where we’ll explore how almshouses can provide much-needed local housing for older people. We’re also pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of a Housing LIN case study on Dovehouse Court, authored by Mole Architects, to coincide with the HAPPI Hour.

And lastly, in the South West, Hazlemead, the Bridport cohousing development, is one of 10 winners selected by RIBA South West (opens new window). Designed by Barefoot Architects, we recently featured the scheme in Dorset in the first HAPPI Hour of our new season of webinars, when we took a look at international and UK approaches to creating intergenerational communities. This is also being developed as a Housing LIN case study, which we look forward to publishing shortly.

Commenting on the awards, the Housing LIN's CEO, Jeremy Porteus, said:

"It's great to see the quality of specialist housing for older people and accommodation that builds a community for all ages recognised in these mainstream design awards. It's something that was also championed in the Older People's Housing Taskforce as we look to encourage architects, developers and housebuilders to plan, design and construct more age-friendly, inclusive homes and communities."

Jeremy was honoured to have been appointed to the government's year-long independent Older People's Housing Taskforce and co-lead on design and technologly. To mark the 2nd anniversary of the commencement of the Taskforce on 26 May 2025, read his upcoming blog.