A modern Almshouse for a more connected community.

Older persons’ social housing initiative comprising of 57 extra-care homes with shared facilities like a cookery school kitchen, communal dining spaces, meeting rooms, craft areas, and communal gardens with raised beds for allotment style food production.

Founded and overseen by the United St Saviour's charity, Appleby Blue in Southwark stands out as a modern Almshouse, a testament to community-focused architecture.

In the pursuit of an environmentally sensitive and responsive building, Appleby Blue set a target of a 35% improvement in carbon emissions compared to the 2013 Building Regulations. 

Passive measures include optimisation of the building’s fabric to ensure excellent thermal performance; project layout and orientation for acoustics and daylighting; and thermal mass for cooling.

In response to the site being immediately adjacent to the busy A2206, the building is arranged around a central communal courtyard garden. A main 5-storey block located to the North creates a visual and acoustic shield to the garden, while a lower 2-storey building located to the south ensures the garden and the main block received adequate sunlight all year around. Daylight intake from south-facing façades was enhanced whilst implementing solar shading to protect against overheating. 

The building is designed to be naturally ventilated with the glazed facade throughout the corridors acting as tempered winter gardens that open to become external in the summer, and where people can sit and chat in comfort.  The building’s concrete frame provides passive cooling in warmer weather and at night to regulate temperatures. In public areas, automatically controlled ventilation is employed.

Complementary to these strategies, efficient building and renewable technologies were incorporated. This involved user-friendly local controls to prevent energy waste, and a smart lighting system linked to occupancy and daylight levels in relevant communal areas. 

Initially specified with a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system, the project demonstrated adaptability over its 10-year duration by transitioning to more efficient technologies, such as photovoltaic panels. 

Appleby Blue signifies a decade-long dedication to sustainable living and community engagement, with a nurturing environment where residents can age gracefully and remain integral to their community.