Appleby Blue: Coliving for a dignified old age

Designed by London-based studio Witherford Watson Mann, the Appleby Blue Almshouse project was built in Bermondsey, south-east London, on the site of a former nursing home. Its funder, the charity United St Saviour’s, has a long tradition of building almshouses for people in need. In this case, however, that building typology has been turned on its head to some extent. Instead of seclusion and closure comes openness, sharing and direct contact with the environment.

The architects defined the project as an “almshouse for the 21st century”. A place where people move not out of necessity, but because they want to continue to lead an active urban life. The five-storey building houses 57 apartments for singles and couples, arranged around a central garden. Each faces the green to provide a peaceful atmosphere and constant contact with the community of the home. The materials, brick and solid wood, also evoke the feeling of a home, not an institution.

Interactions and links

What makes the retirement home project unique is the solution to its operation. The architects work with the principle of coliving: to encourage natural interactions and to build social bonds, which, especially in older age, is essential for people’s mental fitness. Each resident has a small private room, but the emphasis here has been on common areas where seniors are not passively served but actively spend their time. This decision came out of lengthy consultations with residents of other retirement homes – the architects found that virtually no one was interested in private balconies, instead they wanted to be able to spend time together.

On the ground floor, there is a large lounge with a raised ceiling, which is used for various events (from markets to dance classes) and can be used by the public – parents from the neighbourhood with small children come to play here. Students from local schools come to the culinary room and the DIY workshop. The building thus naturally blends the world of the elderly with the life of the surrounding neighbourhood and creates a lively and open environment, which is ultimately very beneficial for both groups.

The developer of the successful project, which was awarded the Stirling Prize by the Royal Institute of British Architects RIBA for the best new building in the UK, is the Slovak company JTRE under the JTRE London banner. The company has already completed the Triptych Bankside residential complex in London two years ago. Appleby Blue shows that coliving can work for people across generations. The same logic that applies to housing primarily for young professionals – for example, in the recently completed Palm House project in London – is being applied here to prevent increasingly common loneliness, particularly in older age. Appleby Blue encourages a rethinking of how we perceive homes for the elderly.